True Crime Collection

Cumbria Shootings

In the early hours of 2nd June 2010, Derrick Bird left his home in Rowrah, Cumbria, drove his Citroen Xsara Picasso to his twin brother David's home in Lamplugh, and shot him 11 times in the head and body with a .22 calibre rifle, killing him.

Derrick then drove to Frizington, arriving at the home of the family solicitor, Kevin Commons. Derrick prevented Kevin from driving away by firing twice with a double barreled shotgun hitting him once in the shoulder. Kevins staggered out of his car and onto the entrance to his farmyard, where Derrick killed him with 2 rifle shots to the head. At 10:20, the police were called. Derrick then moved on towards Whitehaven. A witness called the Cumbria Constabulary to report the Kevin Commons shooting, although her call was delayed by several minutes after she asked neighbours what she should do. She also erroneously described Derrick as being armed with an air rifle despite being able to hear the gunshots. 

After killing Kevin, Derrick went to a friend's home to retrieve a shotgun he had loaned, although he was answered by the friends wife, who didn't have access to it. Afterwards, at 10:33, Derrick drove to a taxi rank on Duke Street, Whitehaven. There, he called over Darren Rewcastle, another taxi driver who was previously known to Derrick; Derrick had conflicts with Darren over his behaviour, his practice of poaching fares, and an incident wherein Darren damaged the tyres on Derrick's taxi and openly boasted about it. When Darren approached Derrick's taxi, he was shot twice at point blank range with the rifle, hitting him in the lower face, chest, and abdomen. Darren died of his injuries, becoming the only person to die in Whitehaven during the attacks. 

Soon after killing Darren, Derrick drove alongside another taxi driver, Donald Reid, and shot him in the back, wounding him. Derrick then made a loop back to the taxi rank and fired twice at Donald as he waited for emergency services, missing him. Next, Derrick drove away from the taxi rank and 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 Darren; when Paul answered his call, Derrick shot him in the right side of his face with the sawn-off shotgun, severely wounding him. As a result of the shootings, unarmed officers at the local police station were informed and began following Derrick's taxi as it drove onto Coach Road. There, Derrick fired his shotgun at a passing taxi, injuring the male driver, Terry Kennedy, and the female passenger, Emma Percival. Derrick was then able to flee the officers after he aimed his shotgun at 2 of them, forcing them to take cover. However, he did not fire; he instead took advantage of the officers' distraction to escape. 

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

Near Egremont, Derrick tried to shoot Jacqueline Williamson as she walked her dog, but she managed to escape without injury. Upon arriving in Egremont, he 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 Susan before fatally shooting her in the back of the head with his rifle. Then, after driving a short distance onto Bridge End, Derrick fired the shotgun at Kenneth Fishburn as he walked in the opposite direction; Kenneth suffered fatal wounds to the head and chest. This was followed by the shooting of Leslie Hunter, who was called over to Derrick'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. Leslie survived his injuries. 

Derrick then went south towards Thornhill, where he fired his shotgun at Ashley Glaister, a teenage girl; however, he missed her. He then passed Carleton and travelled onto the village of Wilton, where he tried to visit Jason Carey, a member of a diving club Derrick also belonged to, but Derrick left when Jason's wife came to the door. Soon afterward, Derrick shot Jennifer Jackson once in the chest with his shotgun and twice in the head with his rifle, killing her. Derrick then drove past Town End Farm, but turned back towards it and fired his shotgun, fatally hitting Jennifer'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 Derrick's shotgun. A former semi-professional rugby player, Garry Purdham, was soon shot and killed while working in a field outside the Red Admiral Hotel at Boonwood, near Gosforth.