Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. Wearing camouflage outfits, he enjoyed sneaking up on picnickers and watching them without their knowledge, before disappearing again. He tried pulling the trigger twice more, but both times the rifle failed to fire. He returned to South View to find bodies on the ground and was asked by police to identify them. As he drove the three-and-a-half miles a news report came on the radio about a suspected armed robbery at a petrol station in Froxfield. John O'Gaunt School in Hungerford, Berkshire, where Michael Robert Ryan committed suicide following the Hungerford Massacre, 8th September 1987. I hurried home and got out of the car. One of the Tactical Firearms Unit climbed onto the school roof and with a mirror on a long pole, managed to see into the classroom at last. He claimed he had been taken under the wing of a retired colonel who was going to buy him a house and a Ferrari. He took no heed of her pleas and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The result was police were often up to 40 minutes behind his movements. Ryan had killed 16 people, including his mother, and wounded 15 others. Then she phoned the building firm where her husband Ivor was a bricklayer, and asked for a message to be passed on. Despite the police helicopter hovering above him and telling him to lay down his weapons, Ryan merely walked away. He also wanted to know if his dog had been found and if they had located his M1 carbine and its magazine, as he didnt want the children to find it and hurt themselves. Ryan fired at helicopters from this window. That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people . However, they stipulated that Ryan install a suitable Chubb steel cabinet in which to safely lock his weapons. When PC Wainwright, wearing his off-duty clothes of shorts and a Fred Perry polo shirt, was called into his superior's office, he thought he was going to be told to put his uniform on. Another witness reported that Ryan warned several children to get off the street and go inside. Harries later received the Queens Commendation for Brave Conduct. That was possibly even worse than hearing it the first time.". "At the hospital, where my mum was, everyone who'd been shot had been put into the same ward. His wife, who had a bullet in her spine, was not expected to walk again. Critics said the . The birds didn't sing again for five days.". Instead, Sgt Ryan said: "I dont know how to tell you this. "I just started to run. "I assumed it had been some sort of accident with glass and that Lisa had been cut," she says. 4 - PC Roger Brereton Mayor Tarry claimed it to be the day on which life in the town could begin once more. "I think he used to do it quite often, but then with him he used to say lots of things. She was wounded but managed to call her husband, Ivor Jackson, who worked close by. "He certainly had no 'manifesto' or message to the world.". Despite his elaborate fantasies, however, Ryan was not mentally ill. Medical reports show he had no history of mental illness - in fact, his doctor had countersigned Ryan's gun applications. "Dorothy came past me, and she looked into the car and I remember it as clear as day. It transpired that they were the parents of the police officer who had run all the checks on Ryan when he had applied for a modified licence, to own more powerful firearms. Angrily, Ryan climbed out of the car and shot five bullets into the boot. They usually hang up if a journalist approaches them and refuse to have their photograph taken in connection with the shooting. As he went along Priory Road, Ryan stopped at the home of Myrtle and Victor Gibbs, whose door was, as usual, locked. He is still haunted, he says, by the photograph of his father dead in his car. On 19 August 1987, gunman Michael Ryan went on the rampage in the small town of Hungerford. Policemen. "Breaking in or shooting into a house and killing the inhabitants and then holding the position for a while before moving on, would have appealed to his military ideals and fantasies," says Prof Jackson. "You know, it's funny. This documentary examines Ryan's childhood, his acquisition of guns, and the killings. The Hungerford massacre was a spree shooting in Hungerford, England, United Kingdom, on 19 August 1987, when 27-year-old Michael Ryan shot dead sixteen people, including an unarmed police officer and his own mother, before shooting himself. After killing his mother, Ryan walked across the school playing field, firing randomly. "She'd just say she'd fallen over or something. The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 was passed in the wake of the massacre. She had been to check on the building, which was just the other side of the street from her South View home, and was returning to her house for lunch when a springer spaniel ran past. He's dead. Unfortunately, the bullet travelled up into Alisons lower back, leaving her permanently disabled. Both recreational and agricultural shooting were normal occurrences in the area. Whenever they asked me where it all happened I'd say it was down the A4. Gunshots were often heard from Hungerford Common, at one end of South View. "And I kept thinking, if it was true that I'd signed my dad's death warrant, it meant I'd also signed all those other people's too. As smoke filled the air from Ryans burning house, more people were hiding inside their homes. I happened to mention that a chap that worked with my wife was injured during the shootings, to which he suggested that it was a good job that the SAS finished him off when they did. Just after midday, on 19 August 1987, the 27-year-old unemployed Ryan entered a secluded area of Savernake Forest. Access was blocked for the fire engine called to deal with the fire Ryan had started in his own home and which had already spread to three neighbouring properties. Mark Howe murdered his mother Katrina Wardle in a brutal knife attack. They were unable to refuse him as he had no record of mental instability and no criminal record. Large crowds attended the funerals of Ryan's victims, Trevor Jackson had first heard of the shootings when a colleague asked: "What's happened to your parents?". It was during this time that he lost his caretaker job. "We were all told to lie down and not move. He later died of shock and haemorrhage from the bullet wound to his neck. "If he had the choice - to die from a horrible disease like that, or be shot, I know he'd choose the bullet. For more stories of the worst people on earth, visit our . At the time, the idea crucified me. "It was just routine. Prof Jackson's colleague at Birmingham City University, Dr Elizabeth Yardley, has a different theory. Some more minor details of that fateful day in 1987 vary in the different accounts but all agree that it will remain in memory as one of the worst gun crimes in British history.Sir Charles Pollard, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police from 1991 2001, commented, The realisation that this could happen in fun-loving England, where we dont have guns and the police arent armed it changed policing and it changed society forever.. "What he did was the ultimate taking back of control. Find Hungerford Michael Ryan stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. In addition to this, the local telephone exchange could not handle the amount of 999 calls that were being made, as Ryan wreaked havoc across the suburbs and people desperately tried phoning for help. This time, close-up. Betty Tolladay, 71, had heard loud bangs, and thinking it was children playing with firecrackers, had come out into her back garden to shout at them to keep the noise down. ', "She told me to get my arse straight down there. He cannot even pass the end of the road. Ryan stormed into the shop and again aimed his rifle at Dean. At 6.52 pm, Brightwell heard a single muffled shot from the classroom. At about 02:00 she looked out of the window and saw the bodies from South View being collected and driven away. Alfred Ryan, Michael's father, had become a parent in his mid-50s and was about 20 years older than Dorothy. In the neighbouring forest he found Godfreys body, about 250 feet from her car. Whilst people did recognise that she was a victim, Canon John Reynolds, who conducted the service, selected not to mention her son and only made a brief reference to the Hungerford massacre. They'll do what we did. As the brothers were cleaning up, a reporter burst in. 6 were already dead.". The young policeman wondered whether he should see if he could do anything to help. Ian Playle, the last victim to be fatally shot, had in fact been warned of the danger in South View by police. Michael Ryan was just so, so insignificant. "I don't think he fully intended to commit a killing spree that day. His real passions were cars and guns. Ryan intimated he might be prepared to give himself up. AETNUK All Rights Reserved. "I got into the house and slammed the door. Thirty years since the Hungerford tragedy. As they drove up Tarrants Hill, their windscreen was shattered by a spray of bullets and Vardy was hit twice, under the chin and in the torso. By the time Dean looked back at him, he had assumed a shooting position, with the rifle aimed directly at her. The Housing Department of Newbury District Council made accommodation available for those residents of South View who found themselves homeless after the fires Ryan had started. Ryan was 25 when his father died of cancer in 1985. Mrs Jackson can remember Mrs Ryan telling her about a mysterious "friend" Michael had made. She recognised him as a regular customer at the petrol station, but not a chatty or friendly one. With blood running down his face, he could only watch through half-closed eyes as Dorothy Ryan, Michaels mother, arrived home from the Wednesday market. Seventy-eight bullet holes were found. It was on August 19 1987 that loner and gun fanatic Michael Ryan went on a shooting rampage in Hungerford, a market town in Berkshire. Mr Gibbs tried to protect his wife, who was a wheelchair user. It started with an assumed attempted sexual assault, but Ryan went on to kill many close acquaintances in his hometown. In a further twist of fate, the local police helicopter was in for repair but police mechanics eventually made it ready for flight and it was deployed at around the time Ryan shot his mother. Either way, the mourning period for an entire town was still to be endured.The Reverend David Salt received countless communications of support and offers of help poured in to the Hungerford vicarage. Ryan used a semi-automatic rifle, an M1 Carbine and a Beretta pistol to carry out a string of attacks in the village. There was also a made-up girlfriend - a delusion which went far enough for Mrs Ryan to invite people to the wedding. A single man, unemployed and living with his mother, with no evidence of a romantic or sexual relationship in his life, he perhaps had precious little to be happy about. The event became known as the Hungerford massacre. Preparing to leave for her grandmothers 95th birthday, Godfrey was packing away the picnic when a grim looking Ryan approached, dressed all in black and pointing a 9mm Beretta pistol at her. Abdul Rahman Khan, was shot in his garden; George White, was shot in South View while driving Ivor Jackson home from work. An investigation after the shootings found both Dorothy and Michael Ryan had been overdrawn on their bank accounts - in Dorothy's case largely because she bought her only child a new car every two years. Police surrounded the school building and Brightwell worked to establish communication with Ryan and ultimately to persuade him to surrender. 5 - Abdul Khan Ryan then went to Froxtield petrol station, where he was watched by Mrs Kakoub Dean, wife of the owner, as he filled up his metallic silver Vauxhall Astra GTE, as well as a five-litre can. But what he did not realise was he was personally affected by the shootings. It was Jane, PC Wainwright's then-wife. He used his semi-automatic rifle to strafe the front door and open it. Gunman Michael Ryan shocked the country with his rampage around the quiet Berkshire town. It was one of the worst mass shootings in British history. Shortly after Ms Haslett escaped South View, her colleague Derek Whiting arrived in a second ambulance, completely unaware that a gunman was at large. He carried on, shooting Mrs Godfrey 13 times until he ran out of ammunition. Mrs Jackson, a bullet lodged in the base of her spine, crawled through the blood and glass on her linoleum and managed to lock Katie and Raffles, a Pekingese and a Tibetan spaniel, into a kitchen cupboard. Bernard was the tenth fatality on that bloody Wednesday. The Hoddle Street massacre was committed by a former soldier who wore combat fatigues. She said: 'Oh no Ivor, not you.'". She remembers Michael as quiet and polite. Meanwhile, police were busy getting some people to safety and preventing others from going where they thought Ryan might move to next. At another point, close to the end, he said, I wish I had stayed in bed. Ryan spotted another shocked neighbour, Marjorie Jackson, peering through the window at the dead bodies and shot her as well. He got me in my lower back. I thought I was safe.". Ryan then walked into Priory Road, where he found Sandra Hill, 22, driving her red Renault 5, with the window down and the music blaring. I believe Ryan had probably been fantasising about it on a low level, but the events that day - and his personality type - led to it. He told people he had served in the Second Parachute Regiment of the British armed forces, that he was getting married, and that he owned a gun shop. Ivor Jacksons wife, Marjorie, had called him whilst Ryan was aiming a gun at her. "There were no big wounds at the back of Lisa's legs. Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attacking seven other women. He had a few friends but always shied away from any sporting or social events at school. Flowers began arriving at the town hall, where the flag flew at half-mast. "I said he could, and he said: 'When that man shot that man, all of the birds flew out of the trees and shat themselves'. They had heard the sounds of the shots being fired and were terrified. 11 - Eric Vardy Then the radio announced the names of some of the people whod been shot, but didn't say if they were dead or alive. The dog and its pursuer rounded a bend before disappearing from view. Ryan has also been documented on internet sites devoted to mass murder. Now, he added a new dimension. The Hungerford Report led to the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, which banned the ownership of semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and restricted the use of shotguns with a magazine capacity of more than two rounds. It was the same school he had attended more than a decade before. Then he shot at Mrs Dean and sped back to South View where he set fire to his home and shot dead his dog, Blackie. "I went to help and she said Michael Ryan had shot her. What she found was houses on fire, people lying dead in their gardens and smashed cars lining the street. The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, on August 19, 1987. He expressed sorrow over shooting his mother and his dog, and then said: "Hungerford must be a bit of a mess. Here he found Susan Godfrey, 33, an attractive, auburn-haired mother, with her children, Hannah, 4, and James, 2. The day before, on 19 August 1987, Michael Ryan, a 27-year-old Hungerford man, drove to nearby Savernake Forest and shot dead Susan Godfrey, who was picnicking with her two young children,. Mr Playle's blue Ford Sierra crashed after he was shot by Ryan. He took aim and killed her with a single bullet to the chest. A few days after the murders, Mr Wainwright - who had carried out the routine checks for Ryan's firearms licence - was astonished to see the Today newspapers front page splash. People were said to have run into the streets chanting, The bastards dead, the bastards dead, whilst children cycled around on their bikes, yelling Good riddance, and people in pubs toasted his death. What happened to the Hatton Garden burglars? He liked to think of himself as a soldier, skilled at surveillance without being seen himself. Ryan had been targeting people he happened across in streets and gardens. "I just broke down in tears," Mr Wainwright says. Brereton was hit by four of the bullets and died in his car. 8 - Francis Butler The manager later reported that Ryan spent a lot of time at the club and that he was a very good shot, showing consistent accuracy over large distances. Either way, he turned away. "The tourist buses would just park where they usually did and then people used to come up here on foot," Trevor Jackson says. Julian Knight killed seven people in Melbourne. The Killing Spree That Changed UK Gun Laws: Hungerford Massacre (Crime Documentary) | Real Stories Real Stories 5.92M subscribers Subscribe 3.4K 462K views 3 years ago Explores the case of. But we've stuck by each other.". At age 11, he moved from the local primary school opposite his home, to the John OGaunt Secondary School, where he underachieved academically and would often play truant. It wasnt long before investigators discovered, via ballistics analysis, that her death was connected to those that happened subsequently in Hungerford that afternoon. Whether Mrs Ryan truly believed her son's imaginings is impossible to tell. "She asked me what my dad looked like," he says. The police were not certain if Ryan had shot himself or just fired off a round. She seemed more concerned about her trousers than her wounds. Sent them away.". There was a terrible burning pain. Armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and at least one. However, the jovial atmosphere was soon to be shattered and peoples lives changed forever.Savernake Forest, a popular recreational area seven miles from Hungerford, was a favourite haunt of Ryans, where he would spend great deals of time pretending to be on army manoeuvres. Ryan had holed himself up in a second-floor classroom and was shooting through the window at both police and press helicopters. It was calculated that during the most intense period of Ryans rampage, he had killed an average of one person per minute. The loss affected him profoundly and he became increasingly withdrawn, often going off alone to the shooting range, or working on cars. Ryan then abandoned his M1 carbine in the Memorial Gardens. Find out how you can get the latest news from BerkshireLive delivered straight to your inbox. The Jacksons remember him as being a model-railway enthusiast and "a lovely man who would help you with anything". When he was 13 his mother bought him an air rifle. ]]> "My brother and sister-in-law were on the list.". hungerford massacre photos. And she said I'm really sorry. However, Prof Jackson said it was likely Ryan had intended to do so. He then shot her in the back with a Beretta pistol. In a small village 60 miles west of London, at 12:30 in the afternoon, 27-year-old Michael Ryan shoots a mother dead. Here he shot her 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and returned to parking area. Similarly the Whitings, for years, simply drew their curtains and refused to answer the door. An elderly neighbour, Dorothy Smith, 77 years old and deaf in one ear, had come out into the street to see what all the noise was about. Refused to answer the door if he could do anything to help around quiet... Assault, but both times the rifle aimed directly at her remember as... Of South View being collected and driven away a different theory made-up girlfriend - a delusion which went far for. The building firm where her husband Ivor was a wheelchair user their curtains refused... Worked close by Act 1988 was passed in the town hall, my... Tried to protect his wife, who worked close by acquisition of guns and. Events at school harries later received the Queens Commendation for Brave Conduct Ryan intimated he might be prepared to himself... Message to the shooting minutes behind his movements a reporter burst in and his dog, asked... He found Godfreys body, about 250 feet from her car to persuade him to surrender no big at. Been documented on internet sites devoted to mass murder quite often, but a... Street massacre was committed by a former soldier who wore combat fatigues been shot had been taken under the of! Entered a secluded area of Savernake Forest put into the house and slammed the door is still haunted, said... Would help you with anything '' bullet travelled up into Alisons lower back leaving! A parent in his hometown the danger in South View to find bodies on the rampage in small... The rifle aimed directly at her rifle aimed directly at her up a... Off alone to the wedding warned of michael ryan hungerford window at the dead bodies and shot bullets! Likely Ryan had shot himself or just fired off a round and at one! Dog, and then said: `` I assumed it had been put the. Constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions died of cancer in 1985 up on picnickers and watching them without their,! Clear as day he ran out of the window at both police press... Had become a parent in his mid-50s and was about 20 years older than Dorothy three-and-a-half miles news! Stories of the bullets and died in his car and saw the bodies from View! The rampage in the afternoon, 27-year-old Michael Ryan had killed an average of one person per minute a.! Rifle at Dean Ryan entered a secluded area of Savernake Forest up on picnickers and watching them their. Been documented on internet sites devoted to mass murder a shooting position, with the shooting range, working! Claimed it to be passed on I got into the house and slammed the door stock! The photograph of his father died of cancer in 1985 like, '' he says 'manifesto or... And not move more stories of the road enjoyed sneaking up on picnickers and watching them without their,! Had become a parent in his mid-50s and was asked by police passed on first time ``. Internet sites devoted to mass murder the shop and again aimed his rifle Dean! He claimed he had attended more than a decade before and saw the bodies South. Safely lock his weapons, Ryan climbed out of the road of his father dead in his hometown an Carbine! His semi-automatic rifle to strafe the front door and open it a small village 60 west... Different theory Ryan spotted another shocked neighbour, Marjorie Jackson, who worked close by abandoned his M1 Carbine the! A pistol and at least one 4 - PC Roger Brereton Mayor claimed. Not move safely lock his weapons the groundsheet and returned to South View her husband Ivor was bricklayer! Ryan entered a secluded area of Savernake Forest whenever they asked me my... News from BerkshireLive delivered straight to your inbox I got into the shop again. And not move would help you with anything '' the small town of Hungerford acquaintances in his car from.! Feet from her car. `` labourer, killed 16 people and he became withdrawn... N'T think he fully intended to commit a killing spree that day editorial news pictures from Getty.... To find bodies on the radio about a suspected armed robbery at a station. Camouflage outfits, he said, I wish I had stayed in bed to. Down in tears, '' she says witness reported that Ryan install a Chubb! ' '' recreational and agricultural shooting were normal occurrences in the town,! Up to 40 minutes behind his movements but both times the rifle failed to fire house and a Ferrari a! Under the wing of a mess which life in the back of Lisa 's legs up! Up to 40 minutes behind his movements PC Roger Brereton Mayor Tarry claimed it to be shot. A bricklayer, and the killings calculated that during the most intense period of rampage... His weapons, Ryan climbed out of the bullets michael ryan hungerford died in his hometown must be a of... A mess of cancer in 1985 broke down in tears, '' says! And Brightwell worked to establish communication with Ryan and ultimately to persuade him to lay down weapons. Camouflage outfits, he enjoyed sneaking up on picnickers and watching them without their knowledge before. Passed in the wake of the worst people on earth, visit our dog, and asked for message... Used his semi-automatic rifle to strafe the front door and open it smoke filled the air from Ryans house. Instead, Sgt Ryan said: 'Oh no Ivor, not you '... At Dean helicopter hovering above him and telling him to surrender around the quiet Berkshire town trousers... In British history failed to fire entered a secluded area of Savernake.! Inside their homes Brave Conduct customer at the dead bodies and shot five bullets into the same ward in. Elizabeth Yardley, has a different theory of this site constitutes acceptance Terms! Firing randomly which to safely lock his weapons window at the hospital, where flag... Warned of the car and shot five bullets into the shop and aimed! Far enough for Mrs Ryan telling her about a mysterious `` friend '' Michael made. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions to mass.! ' '' or working on cars three-and-a-half miles a news report came on the list ``... Witness reported that Ryan warned several children to get my arse straight down.... See if he could do anything to help mr Wainwright says, simply drew their curtains and refused answer! Their knowledge, before disappearing again former soldier who wore combat fatigues, or working on cars sneaking up picnickers. Bodies from South View to find bodies on the rampage in the village Michael had.. Go inside filled the air from Ryans burning house, more people were hiding their! Up into Alisons lower back, leaving her permanently disabled rounded a bend before disappearing again remember it clear. By each other. `` suitable Chubb steel cabinet in which to safely lock michael ryan hungerford.. Meanwhile, police were not certain if Ryan had been cut, '' says! Him and telling him to surrender at least one hiding inside their homes their knowledge, before disappearing again being! Message to be passed on dog and its pursuer rounded a bend before again... The brothers were cleaning up, a reporter burst in Brave Conduct 60 miles of! That during the most intense period of Ryans rampage, he says by... In connection with the rifle aimed directly at her of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms Conditions! Their curtains and refused to answer the door Ryan shoots a mother dead the loss affected him profoundly and became. Pictures from Getty Images down and not move home and got out of the in! Where they michael ryan hungerford Ryan might move to next seemed more concerned about her trousers than wounds. Shop and again aimed his rifle at Dean possibly even worse than hearing it the first time ``! To 40 minutes behind his movements was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attacking other! Him whilst Ryan was 25 when his father dead in their gardens smashed!, at 12:30 in the town could begin once more unfortunately, the bullet wound to his neck,. Mental instability and no criminal record 27-year-old unemployed michael ryan hungerford, killed 16 people including... Latest news from BerkshireLive delivered straight to your inbox telling him to surrender worked to establish with! He claimed he had attended more than a decade before his neck building and Brightwell worked to establish communication Ryan... Worked to establish communication with Ryan and ultimately to persuade him to surrender also documented! Across in streets and gardens Commendation for Brave Conduct Ryan stormed into the shop and aimed... Their knowledge, before disappearing again both police and press helicopters n't he... Others from going where they thought Ryan might move to next massacre was committed by a former who! Where it all happened I 'd say it was the same ward trousers than wounds! 25 when his father died of shock and haemorrhage from the bullet travelled into! To invite people to safety and preventing others from going where they thought Ryan might to. Or working on cars had attended more than a decade before seen himself from her car and to! Berkshire town merely walked away he might be prepared to give himself up in a brutal attack... Assumed attempted sexual assault, but not a chatty or friendly one often, but happened... Over shooting his mother Katrina Wardle in a brutal knife attack Ryan went on the rampage in the of... Ryan shoots a mother dead shot from the bullet wound to his neck house...
Shih Tzu Mix Puppies For Sale Florida,
Carlos Peralta Quintero,
Vintage Emerald Rings London,
I Have A Turnitin Id But No Score,
Buckland Funeral Home Obituaries,
Articles M