Mass Murder in Cumbria...British Police Probe Family Fued

Derrick Bird, mass murderer

Tributes to slaughtered taxi driver

Relatives of shooting victim Darren Rewcastle gather to lay flowers at the taxi rank, Thursday, June 3, 2010 in Whitehaven, England where Rewcastle was shot dead during a shooting spree yesterday. British detectives are searching for clues to the motive behind a taxi driver's murderous rampage across a tranquil part of rural England, which left 12 people dead and 11 wounded before the gunman committed suicide. More than 100 detectives were investigating why 52-year-old Derrick Bird decided to go on a three-hour shooting spree Wednesday in the northwestern county of Cumbria.(AP Photo/Chris Clark)

Police officers look a body at the scene of a shooting in Seascale, Cumbria. The gunman went on a deadly rampage through a popular tourist region Wednesday, before apparently turning the gun on himself, police said.

Thu Jun 3, 4:58 PM

WHITEHAVEN ..Police struggled Thursday to piece together the final hours of a taxi driver who killed 12 people in a rampage through the scenic Lake District region, amid reports it was sparked by a family feud.
Derrick Bird, 52, had argued with fellow taxi drivers, at least one of whom was shot dead, while a dispute with his brother over his ageing mother's will may also have triggered Wednesday's massacre. Police confirmed Bird killed his twin brother David and the family solicitor, and said they were investigating speculation that financial or personal problems had pushed the gunman over the edge. The daughters of the murdered twin denied any family feud, however, although they said their father's attempts to help Bird had been his "downfall".

Bird also wounded 11 people as he drove through picturesque west Cumbria, calling people over to his car before opening fire or taking pot shots from the window. The rampage ended when Bird took his own life in a wood near the village of Boot, as armed police closed in on him.
Officers recovered a shotgun and a .22 rifle fitted with a telescopic sight. Police confirmed Bird had valid licences for both weapons.

More than 100 detectives were working to retrace Bird's deadly journey through an area popular with hill walkers to establish why a man described by neighbours as a "normal bloke" caused such mayhem. Reports suggested Bird might have planned the attacks the night before, when he got into an argument with other taxi drivers.
Afterwards Derrick shook all their hands and said, 'There's going to be a rampage tomorrow'," one of his colleagues told The Sun newspaper.
Other reports said an old friend of Bird's recalled that the killer had told him late Tuesday: "I won't see you again."

Reports said that Bird shot the family solicitor, 60-year-old Kevin Commons, at dawn and then murdered his twin brother David before driving to the taxi rank in the town of Whitehaven, and shooting three of his fellow cabbies. David's daughters Rachel, Tracey and Katie issued a statement describing their devastation at the loss of their father, a "loving character".
"We would like to take this opportunity to say there was absolutely no family feud. Our Dad's only downfall was to try and help his brother," it said.

Two other confirmed victims of the killing spree that followed were Susan Hughes, a 57-year-old mother of two, and Jane Robinson, 66, gunned down as she delivered catalogues door-to-door.
Detective Chief Superintendent Iain Goulding said it appeared the taxi driver selected some of his victims deliberately and others randomly. He said he was "absolutely determined" to find out why the spree had happened, but warned: "It may not be possible to establish all the answers because we cannot speak to Derrick Bird."

The detective said Bird had convictions for theft in the 1990s, but he had never been to prison and there was no record of him having mental problems. Bird's elderly mother, Mary, was said to be "stunned" by her son's actions. People who knew "Birdy", as the killer was widely known, described a man who lived alone but was popular. He was divorced, had two children and had recently become a grandfather.
David Cowman, a former colleague of Bird when he worked at the nearby Sellafield nuclear power plant 15 years ago, said he was "always pleasant". He said he thought Bird had "just flipped".
"I just couldn't believe it at all until I saw his photograph. I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't even sense it in him," he said.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the shooting, the worst in Britain since 16 children and their teacher were killed by a lone gunman at a primary school in Dunblane, Scotland, in 1996, was "appalling". But the premier, who is due to visit the region Friday, warned against a "knee-jerk" reaction to calls for tougher gun laws, saying: "You can't legislate for a switch flicking on in someone's head."