Whitehaven, The Aftermath

The warm summer sun may beats down on Cumbria in north-west England today but a dark cloud hangs over the area. Thirteen people are dead.

Photo Credit: flickr/Pink Sherbet

Nothing about the idyllic setting or perfect weather belied the horrific happenings that the town had witnessed yesterday. Fifty-two-year-old taxi driver Derrick Bird opened fire in West Cumbria at 10.35am killing 12 people at random.

Whitehaven today is a portrait of shock and mourning. The residents of the once-sleepy Cumbria town are at a loss for words to describe the carnage that took place barely 24-hours ago.

Two restaurant owners, eyewitnesses and other townsfolk spoke of the terrible events of Wednesday with sadness but displayed the the reslient spirit with which this region has become synonymous.

Two of the people The First Pint spoke to talked about the first man Derrick killed in Whitehaven, cab driver Darren Rewcastle. “He was my best friend,” said a Turkish kebab and chicken fast-food restaurant owner who has lived in Whitehaven for five years.

“I don’t understand what happened, he used to come here for drinks after work, and now…” he trailed off.

Duke Street, the site of the first reported Whitehaven shootings, swarms with the global media frenzy. Satellite television trucks and cameras line the streets with lenses and microphones prodding this Northern town into the spotlight – yet another scene to which they are not accustomed.

Most have repeated the message of shock and disbelief. Others refuse to speak, paying their respects and walking off.

Floral tributes line Duke Street, Whitehaven’s main thoroughfare, which is clogged with traffic and media. These tokens of respect are a painful memory of yesterday’s massacre.

Amery Johnson, 39, a housewife from Parton twenty minutes outside of town, says she laid flowers even though she knew none of the victims.

“It’s just devastating really. I didn’t know the fellow (Rewcastle) but it’s a mark of respect, it’s what we do around here.”

“We’re a very strong community that has had a lot of tragedy, but nothing like this,” local MP Jamie Reed told The First Pint.

“We need to look after those most in need, that’s our strength as a community.”

Amid the bustling street that had witnessed a blood bath unlike any other, the sun shines on.