Gunman kills 12 in British tourist hotspot
BOOT, ENGLAND:
A gunman killed at least 12 people in a deadly rampage through a popular tourist region in northwest England Wednesday, before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said.
Some 25 people were injured, three critically, when 52-year-old taxi driver Derrick Bird spent over three hours driving through the Lake District, reportedly shooting at people from his car window.
During the killing spree, police warned frightened local residents and tourists to stay indoors for their own protection. Bird’s body was eventually found in woods, along with a gun, near the village of Boot.
Police were baffled as to why he launched the attacks, which shocked the rural community popular with hikers drawn to its spectacular mountain walks.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2010.
A gunman killed at least 12 people in a deadly rampage through a popular tourist region in northwest England Wednesday, before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said.
Some 25 people were injured, three critically, when 52-year-old taxi driver Derrick Bird spent over three hours driving through the Lake District, reportedly shooting at people from his car window.
During the killing spree, police warned frightened local residents and tourists to stay indoors for their own protection. Bird’s body was eventually found in woods, along with a gun, near the village of Boot.
Police were baffled as to why he launched the attacks, which shocked the rural community popular with hikers drawn to its spectacular mountain walks.
Published in the Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2010.