Shooting Spree Leaves 12 Dead in NW England

A Police Authority handout photo released on June 2 of suspect Derrick Bird, who killed 12 in Cumbria, north west England. Photo by BGNES

A gunman killed twelve people in a shooting spree across Cumbria in northwest England, BBC reports Wednesday.

Taxi driver, Derrick Bird, shot dead a colleague in the town of Whitehaven before driving through the countryside apparently targeting people at random.

In addition to the 12 fatalities, local authorities are listing the number of injured at 25 and say they are dealing with 30 separate crime scenes.

Bird's body and two weapons were found in a nearby wooded area. The motives for the killing rampage remain unclear and an investigation is underway.

Witnesses say Bird drove through Whitehaven with a gun hanging out of his car window, then headed south before turning inland.

A major incident has been declared at West Cumberland Hospital, in Whitehaven, where all routine operations had been canceled. The Accident and Emergency Department at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle is also on full incident stand-by, the hospital trust said.

The nuclear reprocessing plant in west Cumbria closed as a safety precaution and afternoon shift workers were being told to stay away, though the site has since reopened.

A local taxi firm boss is quoted saying that Bird and his first victim were friends.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!