A taxi driver’s killing spree that left 12 dead and 11 injured in Cumbria, north west England, was fueled by a grudge that spiraled into “simply random killings,” police believe.
As detectives examine the financial and domestic pressures on Derrick Bird, 52, whose rampage on Wednesday left communities scarred and shattered, speculation centered on two feuds — one with his twin brother, David, whom he shot dead, and another with fellow cab drivers in the coastal town of Whitehaven.
It was also disclosed that Bird had legally held the shotgun and the .22 rifle he used in the killings, but government ministers ruled out what were described as “knee-jerk curbs” on gun laws.
Bird had a shotgun licence for 15 years and a firearms licence covering the rifle since 2007. Police said he had never been to prison — although he was convicted of a theft offense 20 years ago.
He had no history of mental health problems and there was no record of him being on medication.
The leading detective on the case, Chief Superintendent Ian Goulding, said police were looking at why certain individuals had been singled out.
“A key part of the ‘why’ in this inquiry is to try and establish why those killed were chosen. Because of a ... grudge or simply random killings,” Goulding said. “Our initial assessment shows we have a combination of both and I will not speculate further at this time.”
Bird may have taken his motive to the grave, he added.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested Bird was upset over a will drawn up by his terminally ill mother, Mary, 90. But as police searched for a motive, the devastated daughters of Bird’s twin — believed to have been his first victim — denied a family rift.
In a statement, David Bird’s children Rachel, 28, Tracey, 26, and Katie, 19, said: “We are utterly devastated about the death of our dad. He was the nicest man you could ever meet. He was a loving husband and doting dad and grandad. We would like to take this opportunity to say there was absolutely no family feud. Our dad’s only downfall was to try and help his brother.”
David Bird, who lived alone, was found dead at his house in Lamplugh.
Derrick Bird was also embroiled in a dispute with other taxi drivers, including Darren Rewcastle, whom he shot at point blank range, over touting at the Duke Street rank in Whitehaven where he worked.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and British Home Secretary Theresa May are to visit west Cumbria today, with the government promising that Cumbria police would be provided with additional funding for their investigation if necessary.
Both warned against a rush to further tighten the gun control laws in the aftermath of the shootings. “You can’t legislate to stop a switch flicking in someone’s head and for this dreadful sort of action to take place,” Cameron said. May, however, promised that once “all the facts are known” all the options for gun law reform would be considered.
Seven of the 11 injured in the shooting spree remained in hospital yesterday. Two were in a serious but stable condition. Surgeons treating them revealed five had been shot in the face.
About 100 detectives are working on the case, described by Cumbria’s chief constable, Craig Mackey, as “the most horrific incident I’ve seen in 25 years of policing.”
It also emerged that Bird was due to have an appointment with Kevin Commons, the family solicitor whom he killed, sometime on Wednesday, though it remained unclear what it was about.
Iris Carruthers, 49, who went to high school with Bird, saw him in his taxi at the end of Commons’s drive between 5:30am and 5:45am on Wednesday.
She spoke to him, but he did not reply, and was “in a world of his own,” she said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number