"He used to say he could follow anyone and they wouldnt notice," said the friend. It also transpired that there were several unfortunate incidents encumbering the response by the police and other emergency services to the events on 19 August 1987. Later that day, his parents were driving up from their home in Kent to visit him. Michael Ryan murdered 16 people before turning the gun on himself. It was absolute panic stations. I could smell cordite in the air. 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Ryan was holding one of his most prized possessions - a Chinese copy of a Kalashnikov semi-automatic rifle. Thirty years later, the events of that day are rarely discussed by those affected. I was on the floor. Mr Gibbs tried to protect his wife, who was a wheelchair user. ]]> 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. He took the firearms, packed the pockets of his flak jacket with ammunition and marched off down the road. 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. It just seemed to happen quite a lot.". "It's difficult to ascertain exactly how much he planned it, but I think it was well in advance and right down to minor details," says Dr Yardley. The young policeman wondered whether he should see if he could do anything to help. Their younger son Trevor, who had been 18 in 1987, is being treated for PTSD while his older brother Peter, who was in the same year as Ryan at school, refuses to talk about 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. It's not known whether Ryan spent a long time watching Sue Godfrey, a 35-year-old nurse who had stopped with her two young children for a picnic lunch. Marching her away from her two young children, he shot her 13 times in the back. 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. News crews at John O'Gaunt School in Hungerford, Berkshire, where Michael Robert Ryan committed suicide following the Hungerford Massacre. 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. Another witness reported that Ryan warned several children to get off the street and go inside. I knew I had to be the strong one of the family, I knew Ivor wouldn't cope.". At one point, he claimed to have an Israeli fragmentation type hand grenade, which seriously worried the police. "I didnt know by doing that, by asking him to come home, I was just leading them both into danger.". So he continued to Inkpen and Mrs Roland-Clarke's garden. Semi-automatic rifles Ryan used during his rampage. She shouted at him, saying, Is that you making that noise? I couldnt move my legs. It was confirmed that Michael Robert Ryan had fatally shot himself at 6.52 pm on Wednesday, 19 August 1987, with a single gunshot to the head. He died instantly from chest wounds. A former school friend remembers a teenage Ryan boasting of spying on and stalking people there. This powerful mix of emotions is often later expressed in an inappropriately violent response. He tried starting his car but to no avail. Continuing to live with his parents, his doting and indulgent mother would pay for anything he could not afford, including cars, petrol, insurance, and even his first gun, an air rifle. 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. Ryan stormed into the shop and again aimed his rifle at Dean. I knew I had to help.". Further delays were caused by the firearms squad being in training about 40 miles away. Meanwhile, police were busy getting some people to safety and preventing others from going where they thought Ryan might move to next. She was wounded but managed to call her husband, Ivor Jackson, who worked close by. One man was injured. Not able to stand by and idly watch people suffer, he had repeatedly risked his life to help a number of victims, giving first aid where he could and solace to those having lost loved ones. Crossing the street, shooting as he went, Ryan strode towards 60 Priory Road, the home of Victor and Myrtle Gibbs and blasted open the front door with his semi-automatic rifle. Whether Mrs Ryan truly believed her son's imaginings is impossible to tell. Ryan, an unemployed handyman, also injured 15 people in the horrific attack before turning the gun on himself. I should have said but I didnt want to worry anyone. On the sunny afternoon of August 19th, 1987, it was market day in Hungerford and Ryan went to Saverneck forest - a place he would often go to shoot his gun and sneak up on unsuspecting. The Hungerford Family Help Unit was hastily established in makeshift offices, co-ordinated by John Smith, to help a community suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 14 - Myrtle Gibbs Two days later, Mr Playle died from his injuries. "It was just routine. The dust was flying up from the ground around my feet as the bullets hit. It was his gun cupboard. The Hungerford Massacre was a spree shooting that took place in Hungerford, England, United Kingdom, on August 19, 1987. The police officers at the scene did not apprehend him at this point, as they were unarmed. 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. Mr Whiting did not understand. Here he shot her 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and returned to parking area. "I think he fully intended to fake his own death at home and disappear at that point," says Prof Jackson. Sent them away.". He had what appeared to be a normal upbringing, although he was perhaps overindulged by his mother. "Members of the public were in the station with the police. Ambulance-woman Hazel Haslett was injured in the arm and the leg by broken glass. I mean, there's no legitimate reason anyone would need to have a Kalashnikov - but it was legal. The woman did not believe them at first but agreed to help them find her. Ryan has also been documented on internet sites devoted to mass murder. "I just broke down in tears," Mr Wainwright says. Whilst chatting to a work colleague, the subject of Michael Ryan and the 1987 Hungerford massacre came up. 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. "We got a letter from the Queen," Mr Jackson adds. She said: 'Oh no Ivor, not you.'". It's difficult. Their car smashed into the back of another car. Ryan was well-known for driving "like a bat out of hell" - the only time he had been in trouble with the police was for breaking the speed limit. He had a few friends but always shied away from any sporting or social events at school. The gunman was reloading his weapon and Mrs Wainwright thought he would shoot at her again. He had lost lots of blood, had bullets in his head and chest, his lung had been shot through and his arm was barely attached to his body. "I think she either refused to [have sex] or resisted," he said. He walked up to where she lay in the road and, with the gun only four inches from her, shot her twice in the back, killing her. Storms survived the shooting. The Hungerford Report confirmed that Ryans weapons had been legally licenced. 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. He would insist on lying down on the back seat of the car if we ever went out, so he couldn't be seen. Gunshots were often heard from Hungerford Common, at one end of South View. Mrs Whiting remembers: "He was very upset for weeks afterwards. Ryan's mother Dorothy was shot not far from her home in South View as she pleaded with her son to stop the shooting. Over the moon at the news of his father's survival, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister. S02:E05 - Thomas Watt Hamilton: Dunblane Massacre. "I just thought she was delirious from blood loss.". She seemed more concerned about her trousers than her wounds. She was fully clothed but riddled with bullets. He took aim and killed her with a single bullet to the chest. The Hungerford police were already undertaking a manhunt for the killer and a police helicopter spotted Ryan. She had been at work in Hungerford when the news about the shootings came on the radio. Armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and at least one. Popular cab driver, Marcus Bernard, 30, was en route to visit his wife and newborn son in the local hospital. He even persuaded the police to grant him a licence to own more powerful firearms. 1 - Roland Mason Changing his mind, he retrieved it and carried on walking, away from town. 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. Someone had shot at the cashier, Kakoub Dean. 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. "I don't think he fully intended to commit a killing spree that day. 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). Inside, PC Roger Brereton, a traffic officer who had volunteered to investigate, was slumped against the steering wheel, clearly dead. Fifteen vehicles were taken away for forensic examination. Ryan had killed 16 people, including his mother, and wounded 15 others. Police surrounded the school building and Brightwell worked to establish communication with Ryan and ultimately to persuade him to surrender. 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