Cumbria Shootings UK Taxi Driver Kills Twelve

Cumbria Shootings UK Taxi Driver Kills Twelve ---



ninjapundit: Terrorist attacks in Europe
ninjapundit.blogspot.com/2013/09/terrorist-attacks-in-europe.html
Sep 21, 2013 - Twelve people are killed when Derrick Bird, a 52-year-old taxi driver, goes on a shooting spree in the English region of Cumbria, before killing ...

Derrick Bird | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
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The Cumbria shootings were a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before ...

Cumbria shootings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria_shootings
WikipediaThe Cumbria shootings was a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before killing ...

Derrick Bird shooting: taxi driver was convinced the world ...
www.telegraph.co.uk › News › UK News › Crime
The Daily TelegraphMar 1, 2011 - In the days before he embarked on his bloody massacre on the West Cumbria coast, Derrick Bird was convinced that the world had turned ...

Cumbria shootings: Timeline of Derrick Bird's rampage ...
www.bbc.com/news/10259982
BBCMar 25, 2011 - This is a timeline of the events on 2 June 2010 during which taxi driverDerrick Bird shot dead 12 people and injured 11 more in west Cumbria.

Cumbria shootings inquest: Derrick Bird's shooting spree ...
www.channel4.com/.../cumbria-shootings-inquest-derrick-bird...
Channel 4Mar 1, 2011 - The inquest into the murders of 12 people by Derrick Bird hears he shot his semi-naked twin brother 11 times. His son speaks in public for the ...

Cumbria shootings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 10/28/2015

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbria_shootings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cumbria shootings
Western Cumbria
Location	Copeland, Cumbria, England, UK
Date	2 June 2010 10:13 a.m.–12:15 p.m.[1]
Attack type	Spree shooting, murder-suicide
Weapons	George Fisher 12 gaugedouble-barreled shotgun[2] CZ 452-2E ZKM .22-calibrebolt-action rifle[3]
Deaths	13 (including the perpetrator)[4]
Non-fatal injuries	11
Perpetrator	Derrick Bird

The Cumbria shootings was a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before killing himself in Cumbria, England. Along with the 1987 Hungerford massacre, the 1989 Monkseaton shootings, and the 1996 Dunblane school massacre, it is one of the worst criminal acts involving firearms in British history.

The series of attacks began in mid-morning in Lamplugh and moved to Frizington, Whitehaven,Egremont, Gosforth, and Seascale, sparking a major manhunt by the Cumbria Constabulary, with assistance from Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers.

Bird, a 52-year-old local taxi driver, was later found dead in a wooded area, having abandoned his vehicle in the village of Boot. Two weapons that appeared to have been used in the shootings were recovered. A total of 30 different crime scenes were investigated. The event was the worst shooting incident in Britain since the Dunblane school massacre, in which 18 people died.

Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute to the victims and the Prince of Wales later visited Whitehaven in the wake of the tragedy. Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May also visited West Cumbria. A memorial fund has been set up to aid victims and affected communities.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 Timeline
  • 1.1 Targeted shootings
  • 1.2 Random shootings
  • 1.3 Suspect's suicide
  • 1.4 Aftermath
• 2 Victims
  • 2.1 Fatalities
  • 2.2 Injuries
• 3 Perpetrator
  • 3.1 Possible motives
• 4 Reactions
  • 4.1 Official responses and visits
  • 4.2 Media
• 5 Memorials
  • 5.1 Memorial fund
• 6 See also
• 7 References

Timeline[edit]

Targeted shootings[edit]

In the early hours of 2 June, Bird left his home in Rowrah and drove his Citroën Xsara Picasso to his twin brother David's home in Lamplugh,^[5]where he shot him eleven 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 he prevented from leaving in his vehicle before firing twice with a double-barreled 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 gunshots to the head from his rifle.^[1][6][7][8] At 10:20 BST, the police were telephoned. Bird then moved on towards Whitehaven.^[9] A witness called the Cumbria Constabulary to report 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.^[1]

After killing Commons, Bird went to a friend's residence to retrieve a shotgun he loaned, although he was answered by the friend's wife, who didn't have access to it.^[1] Afterwards, at 10:33, Bird drove to a taxi rank on Duke Street, Whitehaven.^[4][2][6] There, he called over Darren Rewcastle, another taxi driver who was previously known to Bird and had conflicts with him over his behaviour, poaching fares, and an incident where Rewcastle damaged the tyres on Bird's taxi and openly boasted about it. When Rewcastle approached his taxi, Bird shot him twice at point-blank range with the .22 rifle, hitting him in the lower face, neck, and abdomen. Rewcastle died of his injuries, being the only person to die in Whitehaven.^[1][6][7]

Soon after killing Rewcastle, Bird then drove alongside another taxi driver, Donald Reid, shooting and wounding him in the back. He then made a loop back to the taxi rank and fired twice at Reid as he waited for emergency personnel, missing him. Next, Bird drove away from the taxi rank, stopped alongside another taxi driver named Paul Wilson as he walked down Scotch Street, and called him over to his vehicle as he did with Rewcastle; when Wilson answered his call, Bird shot him in the right side of his face with the shotgun, severely wounding him. As a result of the shootings, unarmed officers at the local police station were informed and began following Bird's taxi as it drove onto Coach Road. There, he fired his shotgun at a passing taxi, injuring the male driver, Terry Kennedy, and the female passenger, Emma Percival. Bird was then able to flee the officers after he aimed his shotgun at two of them, forcing them to take cover. However, he did not fire, and instead took advantage of the unarmed officers' distraction to escape.^[1]

Random shootings[edit]

In the wake of the Whitehaven shootings, residents in the town and also the neighbouring towns of Egremont and Seascale were immediately urged to stay indoors.^[10] A massive manhunt for Bird was launched by the Cumbria Constabulary, which was assisted by Civil Nuclear Constabularyofficers.^[11] Bird proceeded to drive through several local towns, firing apparently at random, calling over a majority of the victims to his taxi before shooting them.

Near Egremont, Bird tried to shoot Jacqueline Williamson as she walked her dog, but she managed to escape without injury. Upon arriving in Egremont, Bird stopped alongside Susan Hughes as she walked home from shopping, and shot her in the chest and abdomen with the shotgun. He then got out of his taxi and got into a struggle with her before fatally shooting her in the back of the head with his rifle. Then, after driving a short distance onto Bridge End, Bird fired the shotgun at Kenneth Fishburn as he walked in the opposite direction; Fishburn suffered fatal wounds to the head and neck.^[1][6][7] This was followed by the shooting of Leslie Hunter, who was called over to Bird's taxi before being shot in the face at close range with the shotgun, then a second time in the back after he turned away to protect himself. Hunter survived his injuries.

Bird then went south towards Thornhill, where he fired his shotgun at a teenage girl named Ashley Glaister, but missed her. He then passedCarleton and travelled onto the village of Wilton, where he tried to visit Jason Carey, a member of a diving club that Bird was also in, but left when Carey's wife came to the door. Soon after, he shot Jennifer Jackson once in the chest with his shotgun and twice in the head with his rifle, killing her. Bird then drove past Town Head Farm, but turned back towards it and fired his shotgun, fatally hitting Jennifer Jackson's husband James in the head and wounding a woman named Christine Hunter-Hall in the back. He then drove back to Carleton and killed Isaac Dixon, a mole-catcher who was talking to a farmer in a field when he was fatally shot twice at close range by Bird's shotgun.^[1][6][7] A former semi-professional rugby league player, Garry Purdham, was soon shot and killed while working in a field outside the Red Admiral Hotel at Boonwood, near Gosforth.^{[1][6][7][12]}

Bird then drove towards Seascale. Along the way, he began driving slowly and waved other motorists to pass him. He then shot a motorist named James "Jamie" Clark, who died of a shotgun wound to the head, although it was not clear at first whether he died from the gunshot wound or the subsequent car crash.^[1][6][7] Bird then encountered another motorist named Harry Berger at a narrow, one-way passage underneath a railway bridge. When Berger allowed Bird to enter first, Bird fired at him as he passed by, shooting him twice and causing severe injury to his right arm. Three armed response vehicles attempting to pursue Bird were later blocked out of the tunnel by Berger's vehicle, and nearby citizens had to push it away in order to let them pass.

Meanwhile, Bird had driven along the seafront and onto Drigg Road, where he fired twice at Michael Pike, a retired man who was bicycling in front of him; the first shot missed, but the second hit Pike in the neck and proved to be fatal. Seconds later, while on the same street, Bird fatally shot Jane Robinson in the neck and head with his shotgun at point-blank range after apparently calling her over.^[1][6]

After killing Jane Robinson, who was the last fatality in the shootings, witnesses described Bird as driving increasingly erratically down the street. At 11:33, Police Constables Phillip Lewis and Andrew Laverack spotted Bird as his car passed by their vehicle. They attempted to pursue him, but were delayed in roadworks and lost sight of him a minute later. Soon afterwards, Bird drove into Eskdale Valley, where he wounded Jackie Lewis in the head with his rifle as she was out walking. At this point, his route had become clearer to police during their search for him. Next, Bird stopped alongside Fiona Moretta, who leaned into his passenger window, believing he was going to ask her for directions. Instead, he injured her in the face with the rifle, then continued onward towards the village of Boot.

Arriving there, Bird briefly stopped at a business premises called Sims Travel and fired his rifle at nearby people, but missed. Continuing further into the village, he continued firing at random people and missing. Bird eventually fired his rifle at two men, hitting and severely wounding Nathan Jones in the face. This was shortly followed by a couple who had stopped their car to take a photo; Samantha Chrystie suffered severe wounds to the face from a rifle bullet. Chrystie's partner, Craig Ross, fled upon Bird's instruction and was then fired at, but escaped uninjured.^[1]

Suspect's suicide[edit]

Shortly after firing at two cyclists, Bird crashed his taxi into a number of vehicles and a stone wall, damaging a tyre.^[1] Briefly continuing onward, he abandoned his car when it ran out of petrol at a beauty spot, called Doctor Bridge, near Boot. A nearby family of four, who were unaware of the shootings, offered assistance to Bird, but were quickly turned down and advised to leave.^[6][13] He removed the rifle from his taxi and walked over a bridge leading into Oak How Woods.^[1] Bird was last seen alive at 12:30; shortly after 12:30, police confirmed that there had been a number of fatalities and that they were searching for a suspect. Police later announced they were searching for the driver of a dark-grey Citroën Xsara Picasso,^[4] driven by the suspect, who was identified as Bird.^[8] At around 12:36, armed police officers and dog handlers arrived at the scene of Bird's abandoned taxi and began a search in and around the wooded area.^[1]

At 14:00, Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde^[14] announced that a body, believed to be that of Bird, had been found in a wooded area, along with a rifle. Police confirmed shortly afterwards that members of the public who had taken shelter during the incident could now resume their normal activities.^[15][16]

During the manhunt, the gates of the nearby Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant were closed as a precaution, and the afternoon shift was told not to come to work. This was the first lock-down in the history of the plant.^[4]

Aftermath[edit]

At 15:00, Prime Minister David Cameron, taking his first session of Prime Minister's Questions, announced that "at least five" people had died, including the gunman.^[17] Later that evening, a police press conference in Whitehaven announced that 12 people had been killed, that a further 11 people were injured, three of them critically,^[17] and that the suspect had killed himself. They also confirmed that two weapons (a double-barrelled shotgun and a .22-calibre rifle with a scope and silencer) had been used by the suspect in the attacks and that thirty different crime scenes were being investigated.^[4] The shootings were considered the worst mass-casualty shooting incident since the 1996 Dunblane school massacre, which left 18 people dead.^[18] A report later determined that Bird fired a total of at least 47 rounds during most of the shootings (29 from his shotgun, 18 from his .22 rifle). Six live .22 rounds were also found on Bird's body, while an additional eight were found held inside the rifle. A search in Bird's home later recovered over 750 rounds of live .22 ammunition, 240 live shotgun shells, and a large amount of financial paperwork.^[1]

Over the next few hours, Bird's shooting of his brother and solicitor was revealed. The police stated that the shootings took place along a 15-mile (24 km) stretch of the Cumbrian coastline.^[13] Helicopters from neighbouring police forces were used in the manhunt,^[4] while those from the RAF Search and Rescue Force and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance responded to casualties. A major incident was declared by North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust at West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, with the accident and emergency department at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, on full incident stand-by.^[4]

Bird had been a licensed firearms holder and the incident sparked debate about further gun control in the United Kingdom; the previous Dunblaneand Hungerford shootings had led to increased firearms controls.^[19]

Victims[edit]

Fatalities[edit]

Targeted shootings

• David Bird, 52, killed at Lamplugh, twin brother of the gunman.
• Kevin Commons, 60, killed at Frizington, gunman's family solicitor.
• Darren Rewcastle, 43, killed at Whitehaven, fellow taxi driver known to the gunman.

Random shootings

• Susan Hughes, 57, killed at Egremont.
• Kenneth Fishburn, 71, killed at Egremont.
• Jennifer Jackson, 68, killed at Wilton, wife of James Jackson.
• James Jackson, 67, killed at Wilton, husband of Jennifer Jackson.
• Isaac Dixon, 65, killed at Carleton.
• Garry Purdham, 31, killed at Gosforth.
• James "Jamie" Clark,^[1] 23, killed at Seascale.
• Michael Pike, 64, killed at Seascale.
• Jane Robinson, 66, killed at Seascale.

Injuries[edit]

Donald Reid Paul Wilson Terry Kennedy Emma Percival Leslie Hunter Christine Hunter-Hall

Harry Berger Jacqueline Lewis Fiona Moretta Nathan Jones Samantha Chrystie

Perpetrator[edit]

Derrick Bird
Born	27 November 1957[20] Whitehaven, Cumbria
Died	2 June 2010 (aged 52) Boot, Cumbria
Occupation	Taxi driver
Criminal status	Deceased
Children	Two sons

Derrick Bird (27 November 1957 – 2 June 2010) was born to Joseph and Mary Bird. He had a twin brother, David, and an older brother.^[21] He lived alone in Rowrah,^[22][23] and had two sons with a woman from whom he separated in the mid-1990s. He became a grandfather in May 2010,^[24] and was variously described as a popular and quiet man who worked as a self-employed taxi driver in Whitehaven.^[22][23]

It was reported that he had previously sought help from a local hospital due to his fragile mental state, although these reports were unconfirmed.^[25] Bird had held a shotgun certificate since 1974 and had renewed it several times, most recently in 2005, and had held a firearms certificate for a rifle from 2007 onward.^[26][27] He was being investigated by HM Revenue and Customs.^[28] The body of Bird was formally identified at Furness General Hospital in Barrow-in-Furness,^[29] and he was cremated at a private service on 18 June 2010.^[30]

Possible motives[edit]

There has been speculation that Bird may have had a grudge against people associated with the Sellafield nuclear power plant that he worked for as a joiner, resigning in 1990 due to an allegation of theft of wood from the plant. He was subsequently convicted, and given a 12-month suspended sentence.^[31] Three of the dead were former employees although there is no evidence that any were involved with his resignation.^[32]

Terry Kennedy, a fellow taxi driver who described himself as one of Bird's best friends, and was wounded by Bird, has claimed that Bird had a relationship with a Thai girl he met on holiday in Pattaya, Thailand. It has been further claimed by another friend of Bird that he had sent £1,000 to the girl, who subsequently ended their relationship via a text message; he added that Bird had been "made a fool out of".^[33]

It has also been speculated that Bird had been involved with a family dispute over his father's will. The speculation was heightened when it was revealed that Bird had targeted both his twin, David, and the family's solicitor, Kevin Commons, in his attacks, killing both.^[34]

Police investigating the killings have also found that Bird was the subject of an ongoing tax investigation by HM Revenue and Customs for tax evasion and the threat of possible future prosecution and punishment might have contributed to his action.^[35] According to Mark Cooper, a fellow taxi driver who had known him for 15 years, Bird had accumulated £60,000 in a secret bank account and was worried he would be sent to prison for hiding the cash from HM Revenue & Customs.^[36]

Reactions[edit]

Official responses and visits[edit]

Prime Minister David Cameron was joined by several other MPs in expressing the House of Commons members' shock and horror at the events during Prime Minister's Questions.^[37]

On the evening of 2 June, the Queen said she was "deeply shocked" by the shootings and shared the nation's "grief and horror".^[38]

The Home Secretary, Theresa May MP, expressed her regret at the deaths and paid tribute to the response of the emergency services. The Cabinet met to discuss the shootings and May later made a statement on the Cumbria incident to the House of Commons on 3 June 2010.^[39]Cameron and May visited the affected region on 4 June 2010 to meet victims, officials and local people.^[40]

Jamie Reed, the local Member of Parliament for Copeland, called the incident the "blackest day in our community's history".^[41]

Prince Charles visited Whitehaven on 11 June 2010 to meet members of the community affected by the tragedy.^[42]

Media[edit]

BBC One altered their programming to broadcast two BBC News Specials about the shootings, at 14:15 and 19:30 on the same day.^[43] The ITV continuing drama, Coronation Street was cancelled on 2, 3, and 4 June as it contained a violent storyline featuring a gun siege in a factory. The episodes were rescheduled to run the following week.^[44][45] An episode of the Channel 4 panel game You Have Been Watching, which was due to be broadcast on 3 June 2010, was postponed because it was a crime special.^[46]

In addition, pop singer Lady Gaga came under criticism after performing a murder scene at her concert in Manchester – as part of her Monster Ball Tour – just hours after the shooting spree.^[47] Comedian Frankie Boyle also attracted criticism for referring to the shootings on the day.^[48] The Times journalist Giles Coren suggested Bird should read a copy of his book on anger management. He later apologised for the remark. Both Coren's initial remark and subsequent apology were made on his Twitter feed.^[49]

Memorials[edit]

On 9 June 2010, a week after the incident, memorial services were held in the West Cumbria towns affected by the shootings followed by a minute's silence at midday. Soon after the minute's silence taxi drivers on Duke St. sounded their horns for one minute to show their respect. The minute's silence for the Cumbria victims was also marked prior to David Cameron's second Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament.^[50] The funerals of the majority of Bird's victims were held at various churches in West Cumbria.^[51][52]

Memorial fund[edit]

A memorial fund has been established by the Cumbria Community Foundation to aid victims and communities affected by the West Cumbria shootings.^[53]

See also[edit]

	Cumbria portal
	Crime portal
	2010s portal


Lists
List of massacres in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
List of rampage killers
Similar shootings in the United Kingdom
Hungerford massacre (1987)
Monkseaton shootings (1989)
Northumbria Police manhunt (2010)
Similar shootings in the United States
Bath School disaster (1927)
University of Texas massacre (1966)
Columbine High School massacre (1999)
Virginia Tech shooting (2007)
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (2012)
Other shootings
Port Arthur massacre (Australia)
Fiction
Southcliffe

References[edit]

^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Operation Bridge: Cumbria Shootings Report" (PDF). Cumbria Constabulary. 28 March 2011.
^ Jump up to:a b Wardrup, Murray (2 June 2010). "Cumbria shooting: police hunt gunman after 'several shot dead'". Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved2 June 2010.
Jump up^ Arnold, Adam (2 June 2010). "Cumbria Killing Spree: Probe Into Family Feud". Sky News. Retrieved 2 June 2010.[dead link]
^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g "Cumbria shooting rampage suspect's 'body found'". BBC News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Cumbria Shootings – Interactive Map". BBC News. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i "Cumbria shootings: Timeline of Derrick Bird's rampage". BBC News. 25 March 2011.
^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Rowley, Emma (3 June 2010). "Cumbria Shootings: Derrick Bird's Victims". Sky News. Retrieved 3 June 2010.[dead link]
^ Jump up to:a b "Gunman kills 12 people in Cumbria rampage". BBC News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Family dispute theory over Cumbria rampage". BBC News. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
Jump up^ Meikle, James (2 June 2010). "Gunman sought after person shot dead and several injured in Whitehaven". The Guardian (London). Retrieved2 June 2010.
Jump up^ Bowcott, Owen; Syal, Rajeev; Lewis, Paul; Davies, Caroline (4 June 2010). "Cumbria shootings: A frantic pursuit before police found the killer's body". The Guardian (London).
Jump up^ "Cumbria shootings: The victims named". The Whitehaven News (CN Group). 4 June 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
^ Jump up to:a b Fresco, Adam (2 June 2010). "Police identify man wanted over drive-by shootings in Cumbria". The Times (London). Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Biography – Deputy Chief Constable – Stuart Hyde". Cumbria Constabulary. Retrieved 2 June 2010.[dead link]
Jump up^ "Gunman kills several in Cumbria: Timeline". BBC News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Urgent public message: shots fired in Whitehaven". Cumbria Constabulary. 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010.
^ Jump up to:a b Weaver, Matthew (2 June 2010). "Whitehaven shooting – live updates". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ BBC News Special, BBC One, 2 April 2010
Jump up^ Casciani, Dominic (3 June 2010). "Gun control and ownership laws in the UK". BBC News. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
Jump up^ Sims, Paul (1 March 2011). "Gunman Derrick Bird shot his own brother 11 times before gunning down 11 strangers: Full horror of the massacre in Cumbria is revealed". Daily Mail (London).
Jump up^ Swaine, Jon (2 June 2010). "Telegraph profile". The Daily Telegraph(London). Retrieved 26 June 2010.
^ Jump up to:a b "Profile: Whitehaven gunman Derrick Bird". Channel 4 News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ Jump up to:a b Naughton, Philippe; O’Neill, Sean (2 June 2010). "Cumbria gunman Derrick Bird kills at least 12 in rampage". Times (London).
Jump up^ Collins, Nick (3 June 2010). "Derrick Bird licensed to carry guns". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 26 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Taxi gunman Derrick Bird goes on killing rampage in Cumbria in the Lake District of England, killing 12 and injuring 25". Herald Sun. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Cumbria gunman correctly issued with weapon licences". BBC News. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
Jump up^ "Derrick Bird had family row night before killing spree, admits relative".The Daily Telegraph (London). 4 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Police seize killer's paperwork". BBC News. 6 June 2010. Retrieved6 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Inquests opened into Cumbrian shooting deaths". Whitehaven News. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
Jump up^ "Funeral service for Cumbrian gunman Derrick Bird". BBC News. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
Jump up^ "BBC profile". BBC News. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Cumbria shootings: Derrick Bird left Sellafield after theft claims". The Daily Telegraph (London). 5 June 2010.
Jump up^ Rebecca Lefort (6 June 2010). "Cumbria gunman Derrick Bird 'dumped by Thai lover after sending £1,000'". The Daily Telegraph (London).
Jump up^ "Family dispute theory over Cumbria rampage" BBC news. Retrieved 7 June.
Jump up^ "Cumbria killer Derrick Bird 'probed over tax" BBC news. Retrieved 7 June.
Jump up^ "Derrick Bird had tax worries, claims fellow taxi driver" The Guardian, date 4 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June.
Jump up^ "Prime Minister's questions: David Cameron's debut 2010". BBC News. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
Jump up^ Helen Carter, Severin Carrell and Caroline Davies (2 June 2010)."Cumbria shootings: 12 dead as gunman goes on killing spree". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Home Secretary makes statement on events in Cumbria". Home Office. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
Jump up^ Cumbria shootings: David Cameron meets survivors of Derrick Bird's rampage Telegraph, 4 June 2010
Jump up^ Robert Winnett, Gordon Rayner and Richard Edwards (2 June 2010)."UK shooting leaves 12 dead and 25 injured". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 3 June 2010.[dead link]
Jump up^ "PRINCE CHARLES TO VISIT WEST CUMBRIA". The Whitehaven News. 11 June 2010.
Jump up^ "BBC One London Schedule for Wednesday 2 June 2010". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ Green, Kris (4 June 2010). "ITV confirms rescheduled Corrie eps".Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Coronation Street taken off air following Cumbria shooting". STV. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
Jump up^ Wolf, Ian. "You Have Been Watching postponed". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
Jump up^ Lady GaGa slammed for gory stage show AOL Music, 2 June 2010
Jump up^ "Frankie Boyle stuns audience with joke about Cumbria gun tragedy... just ONE DAY after 12 were shot dead". Daily Mail. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
Jump up^ Thursday, Monkey (3 June 2010). "When even Giles Coren has to apologise | Media Monkey | Media | guardian.co.uk". Guardian (London). Retrieved 26 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Cumbria gun victims remembered in services a week on". BBC News. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
Jump up^ "Funeral for Cumbria shooting victim Garry Purdham". BBC News. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
Jump up^ BBC News 14 June 2010 'Funeral for Killer's Twin Brother'
Jump up^ Cumbria Community Foundation [1]. Retrieved 13 June 2010.[dead link]
Categories:
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Crime in Cumbria
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History of Cumbria
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Mass murder in the United Kingdom

Nonreligious terror? 

On Wednesday, a 52 year old man, Derrick Bird, embarked on a rampage that began near Whitehaven and ended when he turned a gun on himself. His story was reported in the media as that of a crazy person. Simply crazy, no complications, no indoctrination and no affiliations. His investigation will almost certainly not lead far. The type of books he reads, will not be examined so long as they are not popular religious books. If he has Richard Dawkins’ ‘The God delusion’ open on his table, police officers will fail to notice…and if they do, will fail to publicize this. Similar rampage murder suicides are no news to us. They happen so regularly, people shooting up schools, the Virginia tech case, shooting up places of work, Walmart killing sprees.

.Topics

• Nonreligious Terror

Twelve killed in Cumbria shooting spree | UK news | …

• www.theguardian.com › News › UK news › Cumbria shootings

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  • Terrorism - TIME - News, pictures, quotes, archive

    topics.time.com/terrorism/articles/61

    Terrorism news and background. Articles, pictures, videos, specials and TIME covers about Terrorism.

  • Derrick Birds Tax Fears Behind Cumbria Shootings | UK Police …

    www.policeoracle.com/news/Derrick-Birds-Tax-Fears-Behind-Cumbria...

    Terrorism; Children & Young Persons; Criminal Justice; Forensics; Intelligence; ...Derrick Bird was concerned he was about to be sent to prison for tax evasion, ...

  • Nonreligious Terrorism | NewsRescue.com

    newsrescue.com/nonreligious-terrorism

    June 02, 2010 NewsRescue OpEd- We are all used to religious terrorism. Thanks to names like Osama Bin Ladin, Or American Al Qaeda, the world is highly

    what we all missed is a greater menace and terrorism in our midst. A more dangerous and illusive organization, that has killed so many more than religious terrorism has and threatens to kill more and more as it expands globally and its prophets gain more and more converts.

    Indeed nonreligious terrorism claims lives everyday in so many countries world wide, especially in the western world, but intentionally fails to be branded as such, to diminish public fears.

    Common definitions of terrorism refer  to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for an ideological goal, and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians). Nonreligious terrorism, completely fits this definition.

    Related: NewsRescue- Cuckoo, Gaga! Youngsters with Guns Gone Wild: From Afghan to France!

    On Wednesday, a 52 year old man, Derrick Bird, embarked on a rampage that began near Whitehaven and ended when he turned a gun on himself. His story was reported in the media as that of a crazy person. Simply crazy, no complications, no indoctrination and no affiliations. His investigation will almost certainly not lead far. The type of books he reads, will not be examined so long as they are not popular religious books. If he has Richard Dawkins’ ‘The God delusion’ open on his table, police officers will fail to notice…and if they do, will fail to publicize this. Similar rampage murder suicides are no news to us. They happen so regularly, people shooting up schools, the Virginia tech case, shooting up places of work, Walmart killing sprees.

    In China, almost every other day, there is a sad report of a disenfranchised person going to schools and using the available weapons in China,- knives, cleavers, etc. to stab and murder little children. Dozens of children have been killed in this sick spate and hundreds injured. Like in the western world, these killings usually end or are planned to have the same ending- suicide.

    What we probably missed is the fact that such killing sprees almost never occur in traditional religious societies. Yup. Africa, the Muslim world and religious Asia (India) do not know these types of killing sprees. They do not witness this type of insane terror. In Africa, when a person kills, there is damn well a clear reason. Perhaps crazy, but clear. He almost certainly killed for some money ritual, or just for money. In the Middle East, when a person kills, well, perhaps he is a robber, or he is a terrorist or maybe he is killing under the umbrella of some ridiculous cultural ‘honor,’ ‘re-establishment’. But that’s it. People never go on blind, so-called psycho killing sprees.

    The psychos in these cultures become armed robbers or religious terrorists, with a clear reparable and defined objective. A social menace that can be understood, recognized and repaired with social adjustment. Poverty alleviation in Africa. The Israeli issue in the Middle East. But what of the menace of nonreligious terror?

    
    

    Ali Hirsi

    
    

    Richard Dawkins

    Doctrine that gains converts to this ideology are spewed everyday. Richard Dawkins is not short of cash making ideas to write about and distribute, on how God should be hated and how religious people are insane.

    Charles Hitchens, and Ali Hirsi are not too far behind, producing doctrine upon doctrine for a growing team of nonreligious folk out there who are very combatant, seizing every opportunity to insult and attack religious environments and ideas, on the internet and off. They wear T shirts to instigate and propagate, they use handles that declare their ideology and their follower-ship of the Dawkins doctrine.

    Why do their killings escape our notice as acts of organized terror?

    It is simple. We are looking for an ideology in killings, we are looking for a plain red flag- a religious book, a religious verse or even just being religious. When nonreligious people kill, we fail to associate it with their being non religious, especially in the western world. If this happened in non-western nations it would be picked instantly.

    The doctrine is actually clear-

    Religion is a doctrine of accountability to a Creator. Our bodies are borrowed and so are those of fellow man. We can never kill ourselves or innocent others, except we are are psycho, like seriously psycho to forget the accountability for sins and crimes.

    
    

    Nonreligious doctrine is a doctrine of unaccountability. Unaccountability after death. It is a doctrine of disbelief in God, or a Controller in charge, to put it mildly, and to be realistic, these days, it is actually becoming more of a rebellion and fervor against a Creator, believed in or not.

    The nonreligious person feels that once he can terminate his killing spree with a suicide, he is off, his chapter is closed, it ends there, he actually took the people he killed’s pain away as he ‘removed them from an unnecessary cycle of joy and sadness in life’ and he took his away too as the minute he pops the cap in his head. He and his pain are over. No hell, no accountability, no recompense.

    This doctrine is actually so dangerous, because it spreads silently and easily under the radar. People read books about unaccountability, and then suicide and murder-suicide clubs are officially or unofficially formed and these believers in a doctrine of unaccountability, go on to make that phone call,  write that letter, or make that terror video explaining that they will no longer be seen, and then they go out to terrorize and prove to the world that God does not exist, it all ends here, and they have taken the pain away.

    California, US Oikos Christian College student-terrorist shooting leaves 7 dead

    Chinese media aggressively censors news of successful murder spree suicide terrorism in a bid to limit it, as they understand clearly how contagious this dangerous terror doctrine is.

    It’s the difference between thinking and believing in a doctrine that sees each life as an amazing gift and creation of splendor, and the other doctrine that sees life as a coincidence and perchance arrangement of sorts without any intelligent and decisive plan behind it. Joseph Stalin, a famous nonreligious menace in power, in his reigns of terror, killed over 40 million people. More than religious wars have ever killed. And he did so because of this ideology of unaccountability. A lack of fear of a Creator and regard for human life. The Chinese Mao Zedong, another famous nonreligious individual who had the reigns of power is estimated to have killed up to 72 million innocent people.

    It is time we recognize this very dangerous situation we are in and this brand of terror that is actively propagating and plaguing the western society. I bet from now you’ll see the pattern.

    
    
    Read more: http://newsrescue.com/nonreligious-terrorism/#ixzz2f7NMMkbB

  • UK Gun Control: Cumbria Shootings Renew Debate Over Laws - TIME

    content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1993727,00.html

    Britain has some of the toughest gun-control laws in the world. But that didn't stopDerrick Bird from killing 12 people on a shooting spree in Cumbria, northwest England