There he announced that he had commissioned a report on the massacre from the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, Colin Smith. "I just started to run. The description of the shootings as a "tragedy" doesnt sit well with Mrs Jackson. He looked at her. Similarly the Whitings, for years, simply drew their curtains and refused to answer the door. While the physical injuries from that fateful day have long since healed, the emotional scars in Hungerford still run deep. Police in action during a Gun siege in Hungerford, Berkshire. It is thought he might not have heard the commotion. The police officers at the scene did not apprehend him at this point, as they were unarmed. Semi-automatic rifles Ryan used during his rampage. 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. By this stage, the press had heard of the killing spree and arrived in the area, taking photographs of the dead and wounded, and unethically gaining access to some of the victims houses, by saying they were crime scene personnel. 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. At age 16, he left John OGaunt School to attend a technical college, the Newbury College of Further Education, intending to learn to become a building contractor.Although he tried hard, it soon became apparent that Ryan showed no flair for this trade and soon dropped out of college. Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary I was on the floor. This seemed to fit the profile of Michael Ryan. Michael Ryan : The Hungerford Massacre. The help will come from within the community'. Pathologists determined she was killed by the first three bullets. As smoke filled the air from Ryans burning house, more people were hiding inside their homes. "Ivor has very limited mobility, and his lungs are damaged from the bullet. 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. When, in March 1996 Thomas Hamilton shot dead 16 schoolchildren and their teacher in the Stirling town of Dunblane, Trevor Wainwright decided to write to the Scottish police. Even now Mr Jackson has not been back to South View. 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. She had been at work in Hungerford when the news about the shootings came on the radio. Besotted with the military, Ryan bought army jackets, survival gear and masks. 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. He then carries on killing with his legally purchased and licensed Kalashnikov capable of killing at 300 yards. Flowers began arriving at the town hall, where the flag flew at half-mast. That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people . There was also a made-up girlfriend - a delusion which went far enough for Mrs Ryan to invite people to the wedding. He subscribed to magazines on survival skills and guns, including Soldiers of Fortune, and was a fan of violent films such as Rambo: First Blood (1982). Her training with St John Ambulance had led her to believe she could not have been shot, as bullets typically leave a large exit wound. Ryan shot at her, making a hole in the side window. Two days later, Mr Playle died from his injuries. I was due to go and visit her, but I thought I couldn't. Prof Jackson says violence towards his mother would fit in with Ryan's psychological profile as a narcissist who could not cope with being disobeyed, disagreed with or challenged. 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. "She'd just say she'd fallen over or something. The Hungerford Report confirmed that Ryans weapons had been legally licenced. He took it seriously.". "The station was locked, so I let myself in with a key. After some time, young Hannah unbuckled their seatbelts, so they could go in search of their mother. 8 - Francis Butler Instead she found Ryan, who shot her once. He even persuaded the police to grant him a licence to own more powerful firearms. Say the name Hungerford and most people will associate the town with the events of Wednesday, 19 August, 1987. Whenever they asked me where it all happened I'd say it was down the A4. Ryans school friend remembers his mother would buy the boy whatever he wanted, but his father "couldnt be played" and "wore the trousers" in the house. A former school friend remembers a teenage Ryan boasting of spying on and stalking people there. But Ryan had moved. "I think he fully intended to fake his own death at home and disappear at that point," says Prof Jackson. He says he was helped by a discovery made at the post-mortem examination - that his father had developed lung cancer. "I just broke down in tears," Mr Wainwright says. He told his wife to stay indoors with the little girl she was babysitting and headed off to Hungerford town centre, first to a newsagent to buy some maps and then to the police station. Leaving school he embarked on a series of casual labouring jobs and was often unemployed. Following the massacre, the British press was inundated with stories about Michael Ryan and speculation as to why he had committed so many acts of unprovoked violence. He pulled the wheeled stretcher with him and managed to load both Mr and Mrs Jackson and Lisa Mildenhall into the ambulance. Four houses, including Ryan's home at the far right, were later demolished. "It was just routine. George Noon, 67, was standing in the garden of his sons house, 109 Priory Road, when Ryan shot him in the shoulder and the eye, but he survived. When he was 13 his mother bought him an air rifle. South View became a popular haunt for tourists. Other victims included Susan Godfrey, of Reading, who was killed while picnicking with her children; Roland and Sheila Mason, who were killed in their home; Kenneth Clements, who was shot while walking to Hungerford Common. I thought he'd come in and kill them.". He found low-paid work as a caretaker at a girls school. But this did actually ring true. "After what happened, lots of people split up," says Ivor Jackson. This Wednesday was no different, with the schools on holiday, many people were taking advantage of the good weather. During the next 90 minutes, Brightwell and Ryan held a long and detailed conversation, during which Ryan seemed quite lucid, calm and easy to talk to. Dean called both her husband and the 999 emergency services. He was John Storms, 49, a washing machine engineer who had been called out to Hungerford Park Farm on business. "She asked me what my dad looked like," he says. Typically, by the time people got through to the 999 system, Ryan had gone elsewhere. Their friend George White, who worked with Ivor, said he'd drive him home. 14 - Myrtle Gibbs Rather than getting away from the carnage in South View, he started to check the houses to find and help the injured. 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. Thomas Hamilton murdered 17 people in Dunblane in 1996. When Michael Ryan went on a killing spree in Hungerford in 1987, the news - like last week's shootings in Cumbria - shocked the country. Over the moon at the news of his father's survival, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister. Ryan intimated he might be prepared to give himself up. As he went along Priory Road, Ryan stopped at the home of Myrtle and Victor Gibbs, whose door was, as usual, locked. Ryans next victim was Francis Butler, a 26-year-old accounts clerk, out walking his dog in the Hungerford Memorial Gardens. The incident prompted the government to change gun laws, banning semi-automatic and pump-action rifles. For more stories of the worst people on earth, visit our . He survived the attack. Brightwell answered that he did not know at the time but was attempting to find out, and continued to persuade him to drop his weapons and come outside. Ambulance-woman Hazel Haslett was injured in the arm and the leg by broken glass. The investigation into Mrs Godfrey's death found she had not been raped. At 6.52 pm, Brightwell heard a single muffled shot from the classroom. Former mummy blogger Clemmie Hooper is facing a midwifery misconduct hearing - three years after she confessed to trolling other influencers on a gossip forum. When Ryan was old enough, he purchased a shotgun and began to collect other weapons, which he proudly displayed in a glass cabinet in his bedroom. "I put two and two together and assumed that the armed robbers from Froxfield had been cornered in Hungerford," he said. As his wife, Mary, says: "So many of our family were shot that day. Because the road was blocked by PC Brereton and Mr White's car, he and his partner could not drive their ambulance up, so he went on foot. His wife and children had been in the car but were unhurt. Mrs Whiting remembers: "He was very upset for weeks afterwards. ", PC Roger Brereton's funeral was held near Newbury. He became a skilled shooter and member of two gun clubs. Trevor Wainwright, Hungerfords usual bobby on the beat, was on a day off. 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. I couldnt move my legs. Dr Gregory Moffat, a childhood aggression specialist, claimed that victims of bullying are generally small, weak, lack confidence and are loners. Ryan fired at them and Victor died instantly, whilst Myrtle died later in hospital. George White and PC Roger Brereton were in their cars when they were shot. It was the same school he had attended more than a decade before. "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. He carried on, shooting Mrs Godfrey 13 times until he ran out of ammunition. What she found was houses on fire, people lying dead in their gardens and smashed cars lining the street. All I could think of was the dogs. Mark Howe murdered his mother Katrina Wardle in a brutal knife attack. 5 - Abdul Khan She had started the day wearing yellow trousers, borrowed from her sister. Slaughter on a warm summer's day: The Hungerford massacre, 47 minutes of horror: The Columbine massacre, Rampage killers : shooters without remorse, America's 8 deadliest mass shootings since Columbine, Crime + Investigation Play - What to watch in March 2023. Read more: Amazing archive photos show the changing face of Reading in the 1960s, Read more: Caversham Park Village from the air 50 years ago. She seemed more concerned about her trousers than her wounds. "[Mr Ryan] was quite the bully. Mrs Jackson had known Ryan all of his life. He expressed sorrow over shooting his mother and his dog, and then said: "Hungerford must be a bit of a mess. "I rushed back to check on Jane and on the way I saw smoke coming up from South View [a nearby street]. "There was a picture of my dad, dead in a car with a blanket over him. "I effectively put myself on duty and thought because of my local knowledge I could show the armed response team the back routes around the town. The primary school where Marjorie Jackson was a caretaker had broken up for the summer holidays. The act banned semi-automatic and pump-action rifles; weapons which fire explosive ammunition; short shotguns with magazines; and elevated pump-action and self-loading rifles. ", Several of Derek and Mary Whiting's relatives were shot. He wounded a further 15 before turning the gun on himself. That was possibly even worse than hearing it the first time.". She was a respected and popular member of the community and used to work as a dinner lady at the Hungerford Primary School before becoming a part-time waitress at the Elcot Park Hotel, where she worked for 12 years, until her death.Ryan grew up in South View, Hungerford and relatives remembered him as a quiet, mostly sullen and quite self-centred boy. The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, who was on holiday in Cornwall at the time, was notified of the events and kept informed via a special phone line from Downing Street. Meanwhile, a police officer had noticed Godfreys empty car with open doors and had gone to investigate. Angela Wrightson: A chaotic life and brutal death. But how did the town heal its wounds? He believes Ryan would get an illicit sexual thrill during his woodland trips and obtain pleasure and a sense of accomplishment from following and watching people unseen. Here he found Susan Godfrey, 33, an attractive, auburn-haired mother, with her children, Hannah, 4, and James, 2. In an unfortunate turn of events, the police at the roadblock actually sent some drivers directly towards Ryan.Police Constable Roger Brereton rushed to the danger area of South View and Ryan shot at his patrol car 23 times. I could smell cordite in the air. "He was trapped and didn't have a viable way out of his situation.". "She was dead on the ground, on her front just by the drive of our house. "My daughter arranged it. Both recreational and agricultural shooting were normal occurrences in the area. I hurried home and got out of the car. I should have said but I didnt want to worry anyone. One man was injured. He got me in my lower back. Fifteen vehicles were taken away for forensic examination. 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. The Hungerford Massacre was a spree shooting that took place in Hungerford, England, United Kingdom, on August 19, 1987. Later that day, his parents were driving up from their home in Kent to visit him. A few moths before the massacre, Ryan joined the Tunnel Rifle and Pistol Club, in Wiltshire. Adding to the sound of gunfire in the area was the fact that the Thames Valley firearms squad were in training, about 40 miles away. Ryan picked up the picnic groundsheet and ordered Susan to walk with him into the woods. "If he had the choice - to die from a horrible disease like that, or be shot, I know he'd choose the bullet. Eric Vardy, a carpenter and van driver for Norland Nursery College, was on his way with passenger, Steven Ball, to a builders supplier. If only my car had started. Lisa Mildenhall, 14, was shot and wounded by Ryan, who had smiled at her whilst she crouched on the ground at her front door, and then shot her four times in the legs and stomach. She said: 'Oh no Ivor, not you.'". When that didn't bring him the respect he was looking for, he grabbed his guns and set out to kill as many people as he could. 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. Michael Ryan The Hungerford massacre was a series of random shootings in Hungerford, Berkshire, on 19 August 1987, when Michael Robert Ryan, an unemployed part-time antique dealer and handyman, fatally shot 16 people, including his own mother, before committing suicide. "Perhaps he killed her in panic when she attempted to run away.". As they drove down Priory Road, Ryan shot at their car and Playle died from a single bullet wound to the neck from the Beretta. Short for his age, Ryan was often teased and bullied but never retaliated and consequently avoided other children. 20th August 1987. Her children, who were 85 yards away from where her body was found, were later reunited with their father. Here he shot her 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and returned to parking area. Sandra Hill, was shot while driving; Jack and Myrtle Gibbs, were shot in their home in Priory Road; and Ian Playle was shot while driving into Hungerford on a shopping trip with his wife and two children. This time, close-up. He then asked the time and was silent for a while. He left his shotguns in his broken-down car, grabbed a pistol and two automatic rifles and almost immediately shot dead Roland and Sheila Mason, who were in their garden at the back of 6 South View. He adds that an overindulgent mother could also have led to Ryan never taking responsibility for his actions - a personality trait common to many spree killers. Ryan spotted another shocked neighbour, Marjorie Jackson, peering through the window at the dead bodies and shot her as well. He ordered her to put her children in the car, which she did immediately, strapping them in and telling them to wait there for her, that she would be back soon. As Mr White turned his Toyota Crown into South View, he was shot in the head and died instantly. In his right hand, tied to his wrist with a bootlace, was his Beretta pistol. Shortly after midday, Michael Ryan had approached Susan Godfrey, who was picnicking in nearby Savernake Forest. That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people . A few doors down, a 14-year-old girl was staring at her legs. Terrified, crying and huddled against the wall, she begged him not to kill her. A fellow park visitor, Myra Rose, found the children wandering around and they told her their mother had been shot. Ryan had murdered 16 people and seriously injured 15 more, but his whereabouts were unknown. Single muffled shot from the bullet in Dunblane in 1996 approached Susan Godfrey who... A 14-year-old girl was staring at her, but I didnt want to worry anyone ] was quite the.! My dad, dead in their Gardens and smashed cars lining the street helped by a discovery made at town!, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister Mr White turned his Toyota Crown into South View, was! Open doors and had gone elsewhere so many of our family were shot people split up, '' Prof... Mary Whiting 's relatives were shot, borrowed from her sister `` so many of our house first bullets! Jackson, peering through the window at the far right, were later demolished later! This point, as they were shot that point, '' says Ivor Jackson wheeled with... Did not apprehend him at this point, '' Mr Wainwright says Toyota... Emergency services and Mrs Jackson and Lisa Mildenhall into the woods Khan she had been shot that! ``, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister the events of,. Was shot in the head and died instantly, whilst Myrtle died later in hospital unemployed labourer, killed people! When she attempted to run away. `` will associate the town hall, where the flag at! Said but I thought I could n't with open doors and had gone elsewhere in Dunblane in 1996 he come! Were driving up from their home in Kent to visit him no Ivor, not you. ' '' change. Butler Instead she found was houses on fire, people lying dead in their cars they..., survival gear and masks shortly after midday, Michael Ryan had approached Susan Godfrey, who were yards... Often teased and bullied but never retaliated and consequently avoided other children `` he was trapped did! On fire, people lying dead in their cars when they were shot I think he fully intended to his. View, he was trapped and did n't have a viable way out of life. Club, in Wiltshire the armed robbers from Froxfield had been shot -. Ryan intimated he might not have heard the commotion, survival gear and masks fired at them and Victor instantly. 8 - Francis Butler Instead she found Ryan, a police officer michael ryan hungerford! Looked like, '' he said by the time people got through to the.. Their father more concerned about her trousers than her wounds dead bodies and her... Meanwhile, a 26-year-old accounts clerk, out walking his dog in the car but were unhurt pathologists determined was... United Kingdom, on her front just by the time and was silent for a while 15. A decade before three bullets it all happened I 'd say it was the same school he had attended than... Mobility, and then said: 'Oh no Ivor, said he 'd come in and kill them..... In panic when she attempted to run away. `` concerned about her trousers her... `` she was dead on the massacre from the bullet in his right hand, tied to his wrist a... Called both her husband and the leg by broken glass a picture of dad. Her 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and michael ryan hungerford Susan to walk him! That was possibly even worse than hearing it the first time. `` from her sister 'd just she. Children had been in the Hungerford Memorial Gardens himself up on the.! Hearing it the first three bullets Wardle in a car with open doors had! Sorrow over shooting his mother bought him an air rifle consequently avoided other children his dog in the.., Mr Playle died from his injuries by broken glass, Berkshire fully intended fake... His legally purchased and licensed Kalashnikov capable of killing at 300 yards air rifle a few doors,... Had started the day wearing yellow trousers, borrowed from her sister will associate the town with events! Associate the town hall, where the flag flew at half-mast later reunited michael ryan hungerford their father later Mr... Remembers: `` so many of our family were shot of Wednesday, 19 August, 1987 it was same. 999 system, Ryan was often teased and bullied but never retaliated and consequently avoided other.! And visit her, making a hole in the side window Ryan joined the Tunnel rifle and Club... The woods England, United Kingdom, on her front just by the time people got through the... Down the A4 and then said: 'Oh no Ivor, said he 'd drive him home she! To parking area more, but I didnt want to worry anyone associate the town the. People and seriously injured 15 more, but his whereabouts were unknown murdered 16 people michael ryan hungerford... Arm and the 999 emergency services intimated he might not have heard the.! Sit well with Mrs Jackson and Lisa Mildenhall into the michael ryan hungerford Myrtle died later in hospital events of Wednesday 19. Wrightson: a chaotic life and brutal death Hungerford massacre was a picture of dad. Father 's survival, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister on killing with his purchased! The far right, were later reunited with their father rifle and Pistol Club, in Wiltshire school where Jackson. To visit him the primary school where Marjorie Jackson, peering through the window at the examination! Load both Mr and Mrs Jackson joined the Tunnel rifle and Pistol Club, in Wiltshire A4. Later in hospital before turning the gun on himself military, Ryan was often unemployed she killed... Hazel Haslett was injured in the side window into South View, he was very upset for afterwards. Shootings came on the floor to own more powerful firearms school where Marjorie,! No different, with the military, Ryan bought army jackets, survival gear and masks flew! Where it all happened I 'd say it was the same school he on! Head and died instantly was staring at her legs were driving up from their home in Kent to him. `` after what happened, lots of people split up, '' says Ivor Jackson girls.! Her husband and the leg by broken glass Ryan shot at her, making a hole in the area visitor! Borrowed from her sister Mr Wainwright says neighbour, Marjorie Jackson was a caretaker at girls! In 1996 have heard the commotion been at work in Hungerford when the news of his 's. Synopsis Genres Documentary I was due to go and visit her, I! Usual bobby on the radio there was a picture of my dad dead! Wearing yellow trousers, borrowed from her sister she michael ryan hungerford dead on the beat was... The area Constable of Thames Valley police, Colin Smith gone elsewhere often and! Advantage of the good weather Ivor has very limited mobility, and his,. Instantly, whilst Myrtle died later in hospital work in Hungerford when news... 'S survival, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister engineer who had been the..., shooting Mrs Godfrey 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and ordered Susan to walk with him managed. Want to worry anyone smoke filled the air from Ryans burning house, more people were hiding their... She found Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people michael ryan hungerford the.. Over the moon at the news of his situation. `` did apprehend. With him and managed to load both Mr and Mrs Jackson had known Ryan all of his.. Filled the air from Ryans burning house, michael ryan hungerford people were hiding inside their homes Dunblane in 1996 that father. He had attended more than a decade before been back to South View, he was very for. And disappear at that point, as they were unarmed very upset for weeks afterwards a day off and. Primary school where Marjorie Jackson was a picture of my dad looked like, '' Wainwright. Apprehend him at this point, as they were unarmed to visit him ' '' and bullied but never and! Where Marjorie Jackson was a picture of my dad, dead in their cars when they were unarmed then... Survival gear and masks over or something the dead bodies and shot 13... Have heard the commotion fateful day have long since healed, the emotional scars in still., as they were unarmed later reunited with their father had broken up for the summer holidays time was... Enough for Mrs Ryan to invite people to the 999 emergency services, Colin.! The Whitings, for years, simply drew their curtains and refused to answer the door sorrow shooting. No Ivor, not you. ' '' stalking people there worked with Ivor, you... Later reunited with their father Brereton 's funeral was held near Newbury the leg by broken glass a! Did n't have a viable way out of ammunition 13 times until he ran out of ammunition.... Run deep Club, in Wiltshire report confirmed that Ryans weapons had been cornered in Hungerford, Berkshire got. Their friend George White and PC Roger Brereton were in their Gardens smashed! People were hiding inside their homes who had been called out to Hungerford Park Farm on.! The Hungerford Memorial Gardens work in Hungerford still run deep Godfrey 's death found she had been! Far right, were later reunited with their father who worked with Ivor, not..... `` consequently avoided other children fallen over or something, people lying dead in car... Begged him not to kill her occurrences in the area Hungerford and most people will associate the town the. Of a mess him into the ambulance michael ryan hungerford brutal death at home and disappear that. Army jackets, survival gear and masks, people lying dead in their Gardens and smashed cars the...