The bullet had passed through his skull and shattered his brain. 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. Ryan immediately turned to Alan Lepetit, a coalman who had helped install the Chubb steel cabinet for Ryans firearm collection. Mrs Jackson noticed he was holding a gun in each hand. 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. 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. He then asked the time and was silent for a while. 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.". "It was a happy occasion and I think he felt resentful and victimised and wanted to seize control. 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. Whether Mrs Ryan truly believed her son's imaginings is impossible to tell. AETNUK All Rights Reserved. Then the nurse came back. 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. "Ivor has very limited mobility, and his lungs are damaged from the bullet. Ambulance-woman Hazel Haslett was injured in the arm and the leg by broken glass. It's testament to her own strength of mind that she did. The birds didn't sing again for five days.". 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. "He was a good man. It was about 10 minutes since Mrs Jackson had asked her husband to return home and the two men had no idea of the danger into which they were heading. "I turned to move away and he shot me. Ryan then shot at an ambulance, shattering its windscreen, as it was trying to reach some of the victims in a narrow lane. The dust was flying up from the ground around my feet as the bullets hit. "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 then carries on killing with his legally purchased and licensed Kalashnikov capable of killing at 300 yards. He needed numerous operations and still suffers, both physically and mentally. 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. They usually hang up if a journalist approaches them and refuse to have their photograph taken in connection with the shooting. He is still haunted, he says, by the photograph of his father dead in his car. ]]> The bullet entered her groin, smashed the top of her hip, part of her pelvis and the sciatic nerve, before exiting via her back. 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. Ryan said he would not exit the building until he had news of his mothers condition.Some of the things Ryan shouted out the window to Brightwell were, Hungerford must be a bit of a mess; If only the police car hadnt turned up. Marcus Barnard, a local taxi driver, had been a father for just five weeks when he was shot dead. Trevor Wainwright says he is "haunted" by his father's death. I was on the floor. It's difficult. The investigation into Mrs Godfrey's death found she had not been raped. Here he shot her 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and returned to parking area. Mayor Tarry claimed it to be the day on which life in the town could begin once more. Shortly after Ms Haslett escaped South View, her colleague Derek Whiting arrived in a second ambulance, completely unaware that a gunman was at large. Ryan headed across the playing fields, still shooting. He found low-paid work as a caretaker at a girls school. "He used to say he could follow anyone and they wouldnt notice," said the friend. The letter, complete with golden tassel, is still in its recorded delivery envelope and is kept in a basket in the Jacksons' kitchen. Prof Craig Jackson, a psychologist who specialises in spree killers, thinks there was also a sexual motive. 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 told her he had tattoos, was about 6ft 1in and had grey hair. Ryan's mother Dorothy was shot not far from her home in South View as she pleaded with her son to stop the shooting. 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. A former school friend remembers a teenage Ryan boasting of spying on and stalking people there. She managed to drag herself into her house and survived. "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. He died instantly from chest wounds. Just after midday, on 19 August 1987, the 27-year-old unemployed Ryan entered a secluded area of Savernake Forest. This Wednesday was no different, with the schools on holiday, many people were taking advantage of the good weather. 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. 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. Say the name Hungerford and most people will associate the town with the events of Wednesday, 19 August, 1987. She ducked below her counter just as a bullet pierced the safety glass above it and ricocheted through the small shop behind her. "As soon as there's been a shooting, some journalist will call. It was on August 19 1987 that loner and gun fanatic Michael Ryan went on a shooting rampage in Hungerford, a market town in Berkshire. Dorothy Ryan tried to reason with her son. Why are you doing this?. 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. Armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and at least one. ", Kathleen Wainwright later moved to Hungerford to be near her son. 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. If this was his plan, it fell to pieces when his car would not restart. I probably did three or four of these checks a week. 4 - PC Roger Brereton Eric Vardy, a carpenter and van driver for Norland Nursery College, was on his way with passenger, Steven Ball, to a builders supplier. There was a terrible burning pain. Angrily, Ryan climbed out of the car and shot five bullets into the boot. 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. 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. Witnesses report that at this point, Ryan seemed disgusted with the rifle and threw it onto the ground. Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people . Their pictures were a grim account of the trail of destruction and death that Ryan had left in his wake. A 27-year-old unemployed local labourer, Michael Robert Ryan, armed with several weapons including an AK-47 rifle and a Beretta pistol, shot and killed sixteen people including his mother, and wounded fifteen others, then fatally shot himself. Mrs Pascoe stemmed the bleeding and stayed with the girl until an ambulance arrived. Despite the police helicopter hovering above him and telling him to lay down his weapons, Ryan merely walked away. It was one of the worst mass shootings in British history. Then Ryan had shot and killed Abdul Khan, a hard-of-hearing 84-year-old who was gardening. Ryan shot at her, making a hole in the side window. His face, she says, was expressionless. Sandra Hill, who'd moved away from the town, was visiting former school friends. "I just started to run. "After what happened, lots of people split up," says Ivor Jackson. He had a few friends but always shied away from any sporting or social events at school. ', "She told me to get my arse straight down there. George White and PC Roger Brereton were in their cars when they were shot. It was Jane, PC Wainwright's then-wife. While the physical injuries from that fateful day have long since healed, the emotional scars in Hungerford still run deep. This documentary examines Ryan's childhood, his acquisition of guns, and the killings. I knew I had to help.". The local Hungerford police station was in the process of being renovated and had only two telephone lines working on that day. He noticed the blue flashing light on the police car and decided to stroll up to ask the officer what was going on. At about 16:45, police entered the playground. Because Ryan burned down his home, any evidence of planning was destroyed. Some reports were inaccurate, giving the wrong location. Marching her away from her two young children, he shot her 13 times in the back. In 1987, Michael Ryan committed a killing spree that left sixteen dead and sixteen injured. Ryan then went to Froxtield petrol station, where he was watched by Mrs Kakoub Dean, wife of the owner, as he filled up his metallic silver Vauxhall Astra GTE, as well as a five-litre can. 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. 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 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. The other three ducked down on the floor but Ryan fired at Lisa. 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. "I knew Id been hit. Robert, his frightened son, escaped by jumping over a fence into the neighbouring school, whilst the rest of the family literally ran for their lives. People were frantic to get to their families to see if they were safe and unharmed. Linda Chapman and her teenage daughter Alison - Mr Whiting's sister and niece - were hit. However, they stipulated that Ryan install a suitable Chubb steel cabinet in which to safely lock his weapons. "We got a letter from the Queen," Mr Jackson adds. They warned ground units to set up a roadblock around South View, to stop any drivers entering the area, although they had no idea what Ryan would do next. Ms Haslett reversed rapidly and she and her partner escaped with only minor injuries. "I think she either refused to [have sex] or resisted," he said. The open-air service outside the town hall was attended by over 60 percent of the population of Hungerford and the principal sermon preached by Right Honourable Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury.Apart from the numerous local and international newspaper articles written about the Hungerford Massacre and Michael Ryan, there were also several books. I still get dreadful pain in my back. Lisa Mildenhall had been in the garden with her sister and two children from another house. "We were all told to lie down and not move. Having created a fort for himself in the Gibbs home, Ryan fired at neighbouring houses, injuring a man at number 62 and a woman at number 67 Priory Road.Ian Playle, a 34-year-old clerk to the Justices at Newbury Magistrates Court, had brought his wife, Elizabeth, and their two young children, Richard and Sarah, to Hungerford on a shopping trip. Mrs Wainwright had the presence of mind to get out of the car and cower behind it. 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. 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. I was due to go and visit her, but I thought I couldn't. 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. 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. There was a police guard on the front door so he had sneaked through the garden and into the house through the back door. He would become extremely angry if people did not believe him and his mother would often confirm these lies to people, in a desperate effort to help her son feel better. He got me in my lower back. Dorothy then saw her son with a gun in his hand and called to him, saying, Stop Michael. She was fully clothed but riddled with bullets. 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. Hungerford is a pretty canalside town famous for its antiques shops and upmarket boutiques. Ryan walked past a young boy, Dean Lavisher, without seeming to notice him, but fired at another boy riding past on his bicycle, Dean Cadle, thankfully missing him. The woman did not believe them at first but agreed to help them find her. 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. Helicopters were hovering over Hungerford. "[Mr Ryan] was quite the bully. She parked behind Whites car and opening the door and looking in, said, Oh Ivor and then hurried up the road. Wouldn't hurt a fly.". As he approached a playground near Bulpit Lane he shot and killed dog walker Francis Butler. Now, as his colleague, quantity surveyor George White, drove him home to check on his wife, they came across Ryan. "I didnt know the Masons at No. Michael Ryan went on the rampage through the Berkshire town of Hungerford in 1987 shooting 16 people dead and wounding 14 others. Then he and his brother Peter went into their home, released the dogs from the cupboard, and started to clean the blood and glass from their kitchen.
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