He took it seriously.". Both recreational and agricultural shooting were normal occurrences in the area. Ryan picked up the picnic groundsheet and ordered Susan to walk with him into the woods. Mrs Pascoe stemmed the bleeding and stayed with the girl until an ambulance arrived. He returned to South View to find bodies on the ground and was asked by police to identify them. 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. "Theres no two ways about it. 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. Although situated 15 miles from Hungerford, it was the nearest hospital with an Accident and Emergency department equipped to deal with the numerous casualties with high-velocity gunshot wounds. 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). 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,. Further delays were caused by the firearms squad being in training about 40 miles away. Linda Chapman and her teenage daughter Alison - Mr Whiting's sister and niece - were hit. Emerging from the house, dressed in a headband and sleeveless flak jacket, Ryan carried a bag filled with food and other supplies. "I always encouraged him to talk about what happened, and one day he whispered to me and asked if he could use a rude word. This Wednesday was no different, with the schools on holiday, many people were taking advantage of the good weather. It was market day in Hungerford, a balmy Wednesday, 19 August 1987. Its occupants, Linda Chapman and her daughter, Alison Chapman, whilst wounded, both survived. Select from premium Hungerford Michael Ryan of the highest quality. From the eerie quiet of Hungerford High Street after the murder of 16 people to the trail of blood leading up to the bedroom of an anonymous terraced house, Shepherd conjures up the uncanny. Now, he added a new dimension. No-one blamed me. "I thought: 'How the hell can I go and see her if they're all blaming me? Stop it, you stupid bugger!. ", Several of Derek and Mary Whiting's relatives were shot. 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. 4 - PC Roger Brereton Dorothy then saw her son with a gun in his hand and called to him, saying, Stop Michael. 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. Mrs Wainwright had the presence of mind to get out of the car and cower behind it. 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. It is thought he might not have heard the commotion. But, he reasoned, it was his day off. He arrived back in South View in time to set fire to his home, shoot his dog, chase another dog, and take three guns from his car before killing Mr and Mrs Mason at 12:47. 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. If only my car had started. By now, the name of the gunman was circulating. Ryan had holed himself up in a second-floor classroom and was shooting through the window at both police and press helicopters. Michael Ryan: The Hungerford Massacre: Directed by Adam Luria. An only child, Michael Robert Ryan was born on 18 May 1960 in the Savernake hospital, Hungerford. In 1987, Michael Ryan committed a killing spree that left sixteen dead and sixteen injured. But what he did not realise was he was personally affected by the shootings. She was wounded but managed to call her husband, Ivor Jackson, who worked close by. On that day, 27-year-old Michael Ryan shot dead sixteen people, including an unarmed police officer and his own mother. We were good friends," he says. The Hungerford Massacre on August 19, 1987, saw 16 people killed in a. The police officers at the scene did not apprehend him at this point, as they were unarmed. The dust was flying up from the ground around my feet as the bullets hit. AETNUK All Rights Reserved. Now, as his colleague, quantity surveyor George White, drove him home to check on his wife, they came across Ryan. It seemed that the guns gave Ryan the feeling of power and control that he had always lacked. I need to get better and I will walk again. The description of the shootings as a "tragedy" doesnt sit well with Mrs Jackson. [CDATA[// >