At 6.45 pm he said, Its funny, I killed all those people but I havent got the guts to blow my own brains out. Ryan looked in through the kitchen window and pointed his gun at her. He survived the attack. Two days later, Mr Playle died from his injuries. She managed to drag herself into her house and survived. Driver, Linda Bright, immediately put the ambulance into reverse and retreated. "He was as good as gold. 2 - Sheila Mason The case of Michael Ryan, who went on a killing spree in the small town of Hungerford, resulting in the murder of 16 people, including his own mother. They keep meaning to frame it and put it up on the wall. Ambulance-woman Hazel Haslett was injured in the arm and the leg by broken glass. Over 20 mass shootings have occurred in the US since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Seeing two of his neighbours, Roland and Sheila Mason, in their back garden, he shot Roland six times and Sheila once, in the head. It seemed that whilst he was in the midst of a murderous rampage, he still felt the need to protect children. Bernard was the tenth fatality on that bloody Wednesday. The bullet entered her groin, smashed the top of her hip, part of her pelvis and the sciatic nerve, before exiting via her back. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . There was a terrible burning pain. But it appears she never contradicted him in public. "I don't think he fully intended to commit a killing spree that day. 5 - Abdul Khan "Theres no two ways about it. He then went back into the house, used the five-litre can of petrol to soak everything he could, and set the house on fire.Into his car, Ryan had packed military clothing, a large amount of ammunition and a first aid kit. Short for his age, Ryan was often teased and bullied but never retaliated and consequently avoided other children. Dean reported later that when she looked Ryan in the face, it seemed as if he was not even aware of her and was looking right through her. Write by: . Press intrusion is something the Jacksons continue to feel very strongly about. It seemed that the guns gave Ryan the feeling of power and control that he had always lacked. He needed numerous operations and still suffers, both physically and mentally. He died instantly from chest wounds. Another, Eric Vardy, was killed. "As soon as there's been a shooting, some journalist will call. After some time, young Hannah unbuckled their seatbelts, so they could go in search of their mother. 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. "Ivor has very limited mobility, and his lungs are damaged from the bullet. Michael Ryan went on the rampage through the Berkshire town of Hungerford in 1987 shooting 16 people dead and wounding 14 others. 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. That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people . 6 were already dead.". A fellow park visitor, Myra Rose, found the children wandering around and they told her their mother had been shot. The smiling Ryan shot 11 rounds from his semi-automatic at another car that drove into the street. All over Berkshire, the funerals that followed the massacre were deeply poignant. This had been Ryans first victim. He found low-paid work as a caretaker at a girls school. Ryan approached, looked at him and shot him three times. 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. He even persuaded the police to grant him a licence to own more powerful firearms. If there is a shooting elsewhere in the world, he braces himself for his phone to ring. No-one blamed me. He liked to think of himself as a soldier, skilled at surveillance without being seen himself. A groundsheet was found nearby, which could have been laid by Ryan in order to contain DNA evidence. Michael Ryan : The Hungerford Massacre. As the brothers were cleaning up, a reporter burst in. "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. 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. Sharp, acrid and smoky.". "He was going to set fire to his mother's house and drive away, leaving the police to believe he'd died in the fire.". His favourite toy was Action Man, the commando-type plastic doll, kitted out with uniforms and weapons. Ryan had holed himself up in a second-floor classroom and was shooting through the window at both police and press helicopters. 20th August 1987. 8 - Francis Butler Mr Playle's blue Ford Sierra crashed after he was shot by Ryan. The phone lines were inundated with people trying to call police - journalists were taking up many of the lines - and the police radio system, which only had three channels, was similarly overloaded. He looked at her. But how did the town heal its wounds? She remembers Michael as quiet and polite. Ryan used a semi-automatic rifle, an M1 Carbine and a Beretta pistol to carry out a string of attacks in the village. Instead she found Ryan, who shot her once. Ryan fired at them and Victor died instantly, whilst Myrtle died later in hospital. He took it seriously.". 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. Here he found Susan Godfrey, 33, an attractive, auburn-haired mother, with her children, Hannah, 4, and James, 2. His wife, who had a bullet in her spine, was not expected to walk again. Ryan, an unemployed laborer and an antique dealer, was walking in Hungerford, Berkshire, on a summer afternoon when he targeted his first victim - a mother of two children in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, at 12:30 pm. They usually hang up if a journalist approaches them and refuse to have their photograph taken in connection with the shooting. Ivor Jacksons wife, Marjorie, had called him whilst Ryan was aiming a gun at her. Unfortunately, the bullet travelled up into Alisons lower back, leaving her permanently disabled. "It hasn't got any easier. S02:E03 - Michael Ryan - the Hungerford Massacre. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. "He was trapped and didn't have a viable way out of his situation.". This seemed to fit the profile of Michael Ryan. Ryan had been targeting people he happened across in streets and gardens. The Hungerford massacre occurred in Hungerford, Berkshire, England, on August 19, 1987. There was a police guard on the front door so he had sneaked through the garden and into the house through the back door. 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. Changing his mind, he retrieved it and carried on walking, away from town. 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. Luckily she hadn't been injured. Critics said the . Mark Howe murdered his mother Katrina Wardle in a brutal knife attack. Having murdered Mrs Godfrey, Ryan headed back to Hungerford in his Vauxhall Astra GTE, stopping at Froxfield filling station. He had a few friends but always shied away from any sporting or social events at school. "They couldnt cope. Ryan also killed his family dog and set fire to his house. "He used to say he could follow anyone and they wouldnt notice," said the friend. Angela Wrightson: A chaotic life and brutal death. Ryan's mother consistently pandered to her husband and son so Michael saw her as someone who was there to do things for him and essentially serve him - so he felt a sense of entitlement to treat her however he wanted.". Then he tore his heartfelt letter up. Marching her away from her two young children, he shot her 13 times in the back. Mrs Pascoe, safe with her neighbours in a community centre, was playing cards with the children to distract them from the horror outside. Victims were taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon. It was calculated that during the most intense period of Ryans rampage, he had killed an average of one person per minute. He headed straight there and was greeted by a nurse who said Kathleen was fine and Douglas was in the operating theatre. Harries later received the Queens Commendation for Brave Conduct. "There was a picture of my dad, dead in a car with a blanket over him. At about 02:00 she looked out of the window and saw the bodies from South View being collected and driven away. Then he shot himself. This documentary examines Ryan's childhood, his acquisition of guns, and the killings. "It was a happy occasion and I think he felt resentful and victimised and wanted to seize control. Hazel Haslett escaped with minor injuries. Even now Mr Jackson has not been back to South View. It was being chased up the road by Michael Ryan. Seven minutes after saying this, at 18:52, he shot himself in the head. If only my car had started. Michael Payne (uncredited) Ryan Hanley Surgeon (uncredited) Director Ruki Sidhwa Writer Helen Tonge All cast & crew Production, box office & more at IMDbPro Storyline Edit A look back at the Hungerford Massacre (1987) and its impact on the people who survived to one of the worst tragedies of UK history. 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. "I was desperate to get into the house. 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. 9 - Marcus Barnard 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. "I just started to run. Mayor Tarry claimed it to be the day on which life in the town could begin once more. He had what appeared to be a normal upbringing, although he was perhaps overindulged by his mother. 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. "Dorothy came past me, and she looked into the car and I remember it as clear as day. 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. Mrs Jackson had known Ryan all of his life. 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. He then carries on killing with his legally purchased and licensed Kalashnikov capable of killing at 300 yards. 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. Ambulances lined the main street. Read about our approach to external linking. She shouted at him, saying, Is that you making that noise? 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. Trevor Wainwright says he is "haunted" by his father's death. He saw Mr White and Mr Jackson in the car and Mr Clements - who had been walking his dog with his family - lying dead on the footpath. Ryans next victim was Francis Butler, a 26-year-old accounts clerk, out walking his dog in the Hungerford Memorial Gardens. "When you work for the ambulance service, you do your best to help people," Mr Whiting says. "The tourist buses would just park where they usually did and then people used to come up here on foot," Trevor Jackson says. She was wounded but managed to call her husband, Ivor Jackson, who worked close by. It was one of the young Ryan's favourite places, where he enjoyed tracking wildlife through the undergrowth and practising survival skills. Find out how you can get the latest news from BerkshireLive delivered straight to your inbox. It later transpired that he had shot the family dog, a black Labrador. He got me in my lower back. Mr Gibbs tried to protect his wife, who was a wheelchair user. He returned to South View to find bodies on the ground and was asked by police to identify them. As smoke filled the air from Ryans burning house, more people were hiding inside their homes. Dean called both her husband and the 999 emergency services. "[Mr Ryan] was quite the bully. In a grove of trees headed by an ancient standing stone, near the cricket pitch used by the school in Hungerford where gunman Michael Ryan holed up, a body last night lay covered by a blanket. "After what happened, lots of people split up," says Ivor Jackson. The result was police were often up to 40 minutes behind his movements. Michael Ryan : The Hungerford Massacre 152,574 views May 19, 2022 7.5K Dislike Share Save this is MONSTERS 539K subscribers Michael Ryan was a quiet loner when he was a kid, so he began. 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). Another witness reported that Ryan warned several children to get off the street and go inside. "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'. The incident prompted the government to change gun laws, banning semi-automatic and pump-action rifles. He took aim and killed her with a single bullet to the chest. Having failed to kill Dean, Ryan quickly returned to his car and drove off towards Hungerford. I need to get better and I will walk again. So he continued to Inkpen and Mrs Roland-Clarke's garden. Mildenhall survived the shooting.Kenneth Clements was walking along the footpath with his family, towards South View, when Ryan appeared and shot him once, killing him instantly. He can barely speak about his friend, George White. 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. While the physical injuries from that fateful day have long since healed, the emotional scars in Hungerford still run deep. 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. Dorothy Ryan tried to reason with her son. George White and PC Roger Brereton were in their cars when they were shot. Ryan intimated he might be prepared to give himself up. If this was his plan, it fell to pieces when his car would not restart. The Hungerford Report confirmed that Ryans weapons had been legally licenced. He's dead. The police had already received a report, from George, of an armed robbery in progress at the petrol station and were en route to her. "I think she either refused to [have sex] or resisted," he said. Now, as his colleague, quantity surveyor George White, drove him home to check on his wife, they came across Ryan. The damage to Michael Ryan's house after he set fire to it. Another reporter followed their sister home from the hospital. She was fully clothed but riddled with bullets. His victims included his own mother and police officer Roger Brereton - who was later posthumously awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Semi-automatic rifles Ryan used during his rampage. Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attacking seven other women. 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. There was no way he would miss. A few doors down, a 14-year-old girl was staring at her legs. People later commented that his mental instability became increasingly apparent following the death of his father. The Victims - 19 August 1987: Susan Godfrey, 35 shot and died, Kakoub Dean shot at (missed, then firearm malfunctioned), Police Constable Roger Brereton shot and died, Hazel Haslett windscreen shot, injured by glass and survived, Kathleen Wainwright, 62 shot and survived, Man from 62 Priory Road shot and survived, Woman from 71 Priory Road shot and survived. Inside, PC Roger Brereton, a traffic officer who had volunteered to investigate, was slumped against the steering wheel, clearly dead. 15 - Ian Playle, Susan Godfrey was shot and killed in Savernake Forest. Kahn died later of his wounds. In less than an hour, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had killed 12 of their classmates and 1 teacher, injuring 24. I saw Robert Clements hed been walking the dog with his dad, Ken, and just witnessed him shot dead in South View. A right little sod. 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. Sandra Hill, who'd moved away from the town, was visiting former school friends. It is thought he might not have heard the commotion. John O'Gaunt School in Hungerford, Berkshire, where Michael Robert Ryan committed suicide following the Hungerford Massacre, 8th September 1987. He later died of shock and haemorrhage from the bullet wound to his neck. They survived, although Alison still has a bullet inside her. 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. Rather than getting away from the carnage in South View, he started to check the houses to find and help the injured. The description of the shootings as a "tragedy" doesnt sit well with Mrs Jackson. ", Several of Derek and Mary Whiting's relatives were shot. I still get dreadful pain in my back. An only child, Michael Robert Ryan was born on 18 May 1960 in the Savernake hospital, Hungerford. "If he had the choice - to die from a horrible disease like that, or be shot, I know he'd choose the bullet. ]]> Ron Tarry, Hungerfords Mayor, claimed that the locals were in shock and speaking in hushed tones and that it was the press and others who had flocked to the scene who were doing the drinking in pubs. Susan Godfrey was shot dead in Savernake Forest. "I got into the house and slammed the door. "I think he used to do it quite often, but then with him he used to say lots of things. Policemen. The dust was flying up from the ground around my feet as the bullets hit. The final shooting took place at about 13:45. He expressed sorrow over shooting his mother and his dog, and then said: "Hungerford must be a bit of a mess. Jackson played dead and survived the shooting.He heard what happened next, as Dorothy Ryan, returning home from some shopping, arrived at the scene in her car. Prof Craig Jackson, a psychologist who specialises in spree killers, thinks there was also a sexual motive. Find Hungerford Michael Ryan stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. After all, he was in the area and knew Mrs Dean. Whilst chatting to a work colleague, the subject of Michael Ryan and the 1987 Hungerford massacre came up. 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,. At about 16:45, police entered the playground. He then asked the time and was silent for a while. A former school friend remembers a teenage Ryan boasting of spying on and stalking people there. Ryan then abandoned his M1 carbine in the Memorial Gardens. The other three ducked down on the floor but Ryan fired at Lisa. "She asked me what my dad looked like," he says. One man was injured. And she said I'm really sorry. Armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and at least one. "What he did was the ultimate taking back of control. Just after midday, on 19 August 1987, the 27-year-old unemployed Ryan entered a secluded area of Savernake Forest. Their car smashed into the back of another car. "They were looking for bullet holes and spent shell cases to collect. 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. The elder Mr and Mrs Wainwright had been about 300 yards from their son's house when Douglas Wainwright was shot in the head and Kathleen Wainwright in the chest and the hand. The loss affected him profoundly and he became increasingly withdrawn, often going off alone to the shooting range, or working on cars. 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. "It hit at the heart of my professionalism, of everything I'd ever done for the town. Michael Ryan murdered 16 people before turning the gun on himself. Former mummy blogger Clemmie Hooper is facing a midwifery misconduct hearing - three years after she confessed to trolling other influencers on a gossip forum. 12 - Sandra Hill [CDATA[// >