The Cumbria Shootings

Today is the eighth anniversary of the Cumbria Shootings where fifty two year old Taxi Driver Derrick Bird when on a shooting rampage killing twelve  people and injuring eleven others before killing himself throughout the countryside of West Cumbria.

The Shooting first began in the early hours of 2 June, Where Bird left his home in Rowrah and drove his Citroën Xsara Picasso Taxi to his twin brother David's home in Lamplugh, and shot him 11 times in the head and body with a .22 rifle, killing him.

He then went to Frizington, arriving at the home of the family solicitor, Kevin Commons, whom Bird prevented from driving away by firing twice with a double-barrel shotgun, hitting Commons once in the shoulder. Commons staggered out of his car and onto the entrance to his farmyard, where Bird killed him with two rifle shots to the head. At 10:20 BST, the police were telephoned. Bird then moved on towards Whitehaven. A witness called the Cumbria Constabulary to report the Commons shooting, although her call was delayed by several minutes after she asked neighbours what she should do. She also erroneously described Bird as being armed with an air rifle despite being able to hear the gunshots.

After killing Commons, Bird went to a friend's residence to retrieve a shotgun he had loaned, although he was answered by the friend's wife, who didn't have access to it. Afterwards, at 10:33, Bird drove to a taxi rank on Duke Street, Whitehaven. There, he called over Darren Rewcastle, another taxi driver who was previously known to Bird, and who Bird had conflicts with over Rewcastle's behaviour and poaching fares, and an incident wherein Rewcastle damaged the tyres on Bird's taxi and openly boasted about it. When Rewcastle approached Bird's taxi, Bird shot him twice at point-blank range with the .22 rifle, hitting him in the lower face, chest, and abdomen. Rewcastle died of his injuries, becoming the only person to die in Whitehaven.

Bird would then shoot and injure two more fellow Taxi drivers in Whitehaven before going on a spree of random shootings, killing nine people and injuring nine more throughout West Cumbria. Three hours after his killing spree, Bird crashed his taxi into several vehicles and a stone wall, damaging a tyre, he then abandoned the Vehicle near the village of Boot. Derrick then took out the .22 Calibre Rifle out of his taxi and walked over a bridge leading into Oak How Woods where he encountered a mother and daughter and said "don't worry, I'm not going to shoot you". Bird then went into the woods and killed himself.

The shooting is Britain's third mass shooting, however unlike Hungerford and Dunblane, no serious restriction on firearms was enforced.

Although no motive was established, it is a believed that Bird's mental state had decreased since he was badly beaten up by a non-paying customer in 2007. Combine this with a family dispute over his father's will, his girlfriend breaking up with him over text after giving her a thousand pound, worry that he might be arrested for tax evasion and recent arguments he had with his fellow Taxi Drivers caused him to snap.

Tommy QTR wrote:

The shooting is Britain's third mass shooting, however unlike Hungerford and Dunblane, no serious restriction on firearms was enforced.

Well let's be honest here, there's not much further they could go unless they banned all guns outright.

QuestionMark wrote:

Tommy QTR wrote:

The shooting is Britain's third mass shooting, however unlike Hungerford and Dunblane, no serious restriction on firearms was enforced.

Well let's be honest here, there's not much further they could go unless they banned all guns outright.

They've been trying to do that for a while now.

QuestionMark wrote:

Tommy QTR wrote:

The shooting is Britain's third mass shooting, however unlike Hungerford and Dunblane, no serious restriction on firearms was enforced.

Well let's be honest here, there's not much further they could go unless they banned all guns outright.

They've also been trying to restrict certain people from trying to buy guns.

QuestionMark wrote:

Tommy QTR wrote:

The shooting is Britain's third mass shooting, however unlike Hungerford and Dunblane, no serious restriction on firearms was enforced.

Well let's be honest here, there's not much further they could go unless they banned all guns outright.

Any further legislation will would do no good either way, you'll just end up with a whole pile of grump farmers and hunters.

Derrick "Travis Bickle" Bird

This was the Shooting that got me interested in mass Shootings.

Nobody wants to ban guns outright in the UK, it is nonsense to say otherwise. We just only have them for police, farmers, hunters and sportsman (we even won a medal in the Olympics). I don't no a single person (except maybe some hard-core vegans) who say guns should be banned outright. My family even allowed shooting in our woods (on planned days with a gamekeeper) to keep the deer population under control. Nobody would support an outright ban but we are in favour of gun control.

Derrick Bird was a weird one, it started off with a (twisted) motive then spun out of control.

Do you remember Rauol Moat?

TheOne99 wrote:

Derrick "Travis Bickle" Bird

Congratulations on never watching the film you reference, asshat.

D-FENS1993 wrote:

TheOne99 wrote:

Derrick "Travis Bickle" Bird

Congratulations on never watching the film you reference, asshat.

No need to be rude about it

I was shocked and horryfied when i returned to the caravan and turned on the TV that day, but about 2 weeks later, i felt sorry for what happend to Derrick Bird, and his miserable life, and even began to sympathise abit. A few months later i reasearched Michael Ryan's Hungerford Massacre and was obsessed, the similarities between him then and me now are about 90 - 95 %.

Tommy QTR wrote:

Today is the eighth anniversary of the Cumbria Shootings where fifty two year old Taxi Driver Derrick Bird when on a shooting rampage killing twelve  people and injuring eleven others before killing himself throughout the countryside of West Cumbria.

The Shooting first began in the early hours of 2 June, Where Bird left his home in Rowrah and drove his Citroën Xsara Picasso Taxi to his twin brother David's home in Lamplugh, and shot him 11 times in the head and body with a .22 rifle, killing him.

He then went to Frizington, arriving at the home of the family solicitor, Kevin Commons, whom Bird prevented from driving away by firing twice with a double-barrel shotgun, hitting Commons once in the shoulder. Commons staggered out of his car and onto the entrance to his farmyard, where Bird killed him with two rifle shots to the head. At 10:20 BST, the police were telephoned. Bird then moved on towards Whitehaven. A witness called the Cumbria Constabulary to report the Commons shooting, although her call was delayed by several minutes after she asked neighbours what she should do. She also erroneously described Bird as being armed with an air rifle despite being able to hear the gunshots.

After killing Commons, Bird went to a friend's residence to retrieve a shotgun he had loaned, although he was answered by the friend's wife, who didn't have access to it. Afterwards, at 10:33, Bird drove to a taxi rank on Duke Street, Whitehaven. There, he called over Darren Rewcastle, another taxi driver who was previously known to Bird, and who Bird had conflicts with over Rewcastle's behaviour and poaching fares, and an incident wherein Rewcastle damaged the tyres on Bird's taxi and openly boasted about it. When Rewcastle approached Bird's taxi, Bird shot him twice at point-blank range with the .22 rifle, hitting him in the lower face, chest, and abdomen. Rewcastle died of his injuries, becoming the only person to die in Whitehaven.

Bird would then shoot and injure two more fellow Taxi drivers in Whitehaven before going on a spree of random shootings, killing nine people and injuring nine more throughout West Cumbria. Three hours after his killing spree, Bird crashed his taxi into several vehicles and a stone wall, damaging a tyre, he then abandoned the Vehicle near the village of Boot. Derrick then took out the .22 Calibre Rifle out of his taxi and walked over a bridge leading into Oak How Woods where he encountered a mother and daughter and said "don't worry, I'm not going to shoot you". Bird then went into the woods and killed himself.

The shooting is Britain's third mass shooting, however unlike Hungerford and Dunblane, no serious restriction on firearms was enforced.

Although no motive was established, it is a believed that Bird's mental state had decreased since he was badly beaten up by a non-paying customer in 2007. Combine this with a family dispute over his father's will, his girlfriend breaking up with him over text after giving her a thousand pound, worry that he might be arrested for tax evasion and recent arguments he had with his fellow Taxi Drivers caused him to snap.

It wasn't Britains third mass shooting. There was also Monkseaton in 1989 and West Midlands in 1978.

I must admit Derrick Bird and Raoul Moat got me interested in shootings, in August 2010, after an incident with an old deckchair, I started talking about them.