Gunman Kills 12 In Cumbria

[Troubadour]

A taxi driver went on a rampage today in the Lake District (a beautiful, rural part of England) and shot dead 12 people, injuring at least 25. He then killed himself. Shocking, and terrible. I was watching a documentary about the Hungerford Massacre only a couple of weeks ago and one of the guys said 'It's only a matter of time before something like this happens again.' It's still not something you expect to happen in a rural village in England though. The victims were just ordinary people, many elderly, going about their daily lives.

My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Very, very sad.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100602/...a-45dbed5.html

[sodascouts]

Awful! 12 innocent people gone all due to one man's insanity... terrible.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Another deranged mind taking innocent lives. How horrible. It is always so disturbing to hear about these kind of things. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the loved ones and friends of these victims.

[Prettymaid]

This is always unbelieveable to those of us who are sane. My thoughts are with the poor victims' families.

[Brooke]

Oh my! Another terrible tragedy. I feel so badly for everyone involved.

[Freypower]

My husband lived and worked in Cumbria for several years, (in Whitehaven) and we have friends there.

12 dead... how awful. 25 injured... I feel for them.

[Koala]

How horrible! I saw it yesterday in the news! So many innocent people had to die, not to forget the other victims ! What a tragedy!

[TimothyBFan]

How does a person get to this point without anyone realizing he's capable of doing something like this? Unbelievable!

[Troubadour]

Apparently there was an argument the night before between family members about a will. Derrick Bird (the gunman) told a friend "There's going to be a rampage" and "This is the last time you'll see me." Before that, though... nothing. No indications of what was to come. He seemed 'normal', quiet, worked as a taxi driver in the area for twenty years. Terrifying how somebody can apparently just snap.

Julie - I trust that your friends are okay? (Other than being terribly shocked and upset.) This occurred partly in Whitehaven.

[Troubadour]

I heard a very moving account from an eyewitness on the news earlier. This event really has shocked everyone. It sounds silly, but it seems so wrong - particularly when you look out of the window and see the beautiful summer England is starting to enjoy. Only a few weeks after the school bus crash which killed three teenagers, too. Very, very sad. Once again, my thoughts are with the people of Cumbria right now. The emergency services have reportedly done an incredible job under very difficult circumstances.