Killer's body found after shooting spree

Police in England hunting a gunman responsible for a killing spree said today they had found his body.

Officers said the corpse, believed to be that of self-employed taxi driver Derrick Bird, 52, was found in a wood in Boot, in Eskdale, Cumbria.

A force spokesman said: “Police have seized a gun from the scene and are now working to formally confirm the identity of the deceased and the number of people injured or dead.”

At least four people were feared dead and several more injured today after Bird went on the rampage in the Lake Distrct.

Police warned all people across the popular tourist destination to stay indoors after the shootings which began in Duke Street in Whitehaven.

At the scene of the shooting, a body lay covered by a black blanket outside a taxi rank guarded by police officers.

A Cumbria Police spokesman confirmed: “There are a number of fatalities and police are working to identify the individuals and inform relatives.

“Ambulance crews are in attendance across the area.”

One witness said the gunman drove up alongside him at traffic lights by Whitehaven police station.

Alan Hannah, 68, of Great Broughton, told the Whitehaven News: “As I turned past the police station, I saw all these officers running out and realised something major was going on so I moved over to the right-hand lane.

“Then a car pulled up on the left, stopping at the lights.

“I saw a man with a large shotgun and his windscreen was smashed. I drove through the red light to get into Lowther Street and get out of the way. I got home safely but was very shaken.”