Killing spree shocks Cumbria

Cumbria is mourning its dead as police piece together the details of the bloodiest mass murder the UK has seen in years.

As the sun shines brightly over the sleepy town of Whitehaven, the dark cloud of yesterday’s brutal attacks still hangs heavy over these residents.

Most have never experienced anything like taxi driver Derrick Bird’s raging rampage through the winding picturesque roads of the favourite holiday spot.

Ever since he mercilessly bore down on his unsuspecting victims, shooting many of them at point-blank range with both a .44 caliber rifle and a shotgun, these townspeeople have been reeling with disbelief.

Housewife Amery Johnson, 39, a mother of three boys who lives in nearby Parton, said that the events of the last 24 hours are unbelievable.

“It’s just devastating, really. It’s a very quiet area. You wouldn’t think it would happen.”

Stewart Pratt, 40, worked with Bird as a freelance taxi driver for years.

“How do I feel about it? Diabolical,” he said.

But as the residents of Cumbria try to get back to a sense of normality, picking up the pieces of their broken trust in their safety, Cumbria police have launched an unprecedented inquiry into Derrick Bird’s killing spree. His carnage wound its way through the coastal towns of Whitehaven, Egermont and Seascale on Wednesday, taking 12 lives before taking his own in a wooded area near the hamlet of Boot.

Cumbria Police announced they have finished scouring the Copeland region and believe they have found all the casualties in Bird’s brutal slaying.

Investigation will go on

“We have now concluded a 225 km land and air search of the known and possible routes he could have used and as a result we are not expecting to find any further victims,” police said.

Among the victims are taxi driver Darren Rewcastle, 43, Bird’s solicitor Kevin Commons, 60, and Garry Purdham, 31, brother of the English rugby league star Rob Purdham.

Seven injured people remain in hospital in Cumbria and one person is being treated at hospital in Newcastle. Police say officers are now working to establish exact timings of the shootings and piecing together the precise sequence of events.

“Our priority is now on formally identifying the people who have died, informing family members and supporting them alongside those who are injured. Helping and supporting the many families effected by this tragedy is of the utmost importance,” a spokesperson said.

Jamie Reed, Labour MP for Copeland, said this event of “profound grief” is unprecedented in the community.

Speaking to The First Pint, Reed said: “It’s a very strong community which has had a lot of tragedy with our roots in coal mining, but never anything like this. This kind of event is entirely beyond our experience.”

Reed said that once the spotlight has been lifted from Whitehaven, it will be time to find out precisely what triggered Bird to embark on his apparently random massacre.

“We need to return to normality. We don’t know why [it happened]. This needs to be examined and understood.”