Their car smashed into the back of another car. "My brother and sister-in-law were on the list.". He also had a more sinister motivation for visiting the woodland. 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. Then he tore his heartfelt letter up. Press intrusion is something the Jacksons continue to feel very strongly about. 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. As he approached a playground near Bulpit Lane he shot and killed dog walker Francis Butler. It started with an assumed attempted sexual assault, but Ryan went on to kill many close acquaintances in his hometown. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . Whilst people did recognise that she was a victim, Canon John Reynolds, who conducted the service, selected not to mention her son and only made a brief reference to the Hungerford massacre. Ryan also killed his family dog and set fire to his house. Linda Chapman and her teenage daughter Alison - Mr Whiting's sister and niece - were hit. Four houses, including Ryan's home at the far right, were later demolished. 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. While the physical injuries from that fateful day have long since healed, the emotional scars in Hungerford still run deep. Here he shot her 13 times, dropped the groundsheet and returned to parking area. I still get dreadful pain in my back. He then asked the time and was silent for a while. "She was dead on the ground, on her front just by the drive of our house. He explained who he was and his experience, and offered sympathy. I could smell cordite in the air. Stop it, you stupid bugger!. 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. Then he shot himself. 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. But Ryan had moved. "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'. Over the moon at the news of his father's survival, PC Wainwright telephoned his brothers and sister. Whether or not these were completely accurate accounts, they certainly encapsulated the emotion of relief foremost in peoples minds immediately after the massacre that the carnage was finally over. 15 - Ian Playle, Susan Godfrey was shot and killed in Savernake Forest. His favourite toy was Action Man, the commando-type plastic doll, kitted out with uniforms and weapons. The investigation into Mrs Godfrey's death found she had not been raped. He took the firearms, packed the pockets of his flak jacket with ammunition and marched off down the road. "I turned to move away and he shot me. Trevor Wainwright says he is "haunted" by his father's death. Ryan shot at her, making a hole in the side window. Amongst others also later commended for their bravery were ambulance-women Hazel Haslett and Linda Bright, who had been shot at by Ryan but who had continued working selflessly late into the night to help other victims.It was reported in the tabloid newspapers that following the public announcement of Ryans death, the people of Hungerford reacted with relieved delight. "And then I remembered the name. Ryan then walked into Priory Road, where he found Sandra Hill, 22, driving her red Renault 5, with the window down and the music blaring. "When you work for the ambulance service, you do your best to help people," Mr Whiting says. That summer afternoon Ryan, a 27-year-old unemployed labourer, killed 16 people . She parked behind Whites car and opening the door and looking in, said, Oh Ivor and then hurried up the road. South View became a popular haunt for tourists. Ambulance driver Hazel Haslett arrived minutes later. Slaughter on a warm summer's day: The Hungerford Massacre. The Hungerford police were already undertaking a manhunt for the killer and a police helicopter spotted Ryan. Either way, the mourning period for an entire town was still to be endured.The Reverend David Salt received countless communications of support and offers of help poured in to the Hungerford vicarage. "I thought: 'How the hell can I go and see her if they're all blaming me? 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. "Theres no two ways about it. We were good friends," he says. Policemen. Alan Lepetit, Mrs Whiting's brother, was a neighbour of Ryan's, living in South View. Dorothy Ryan tried to reason with her son. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of Terms and Conditions. The smiling Ryan shot 11 rounds from his semi-automatic at another car that drove into the street. He took aim and killed her with a single bullet to the chest. Pathologists determined she was killed by the first three bullets. Ryan had killed 16 people, including his mother, and wounded 15 others. Dr Yardley says Ryan would have learned how to treat women from how his father treated his mother. Thirty years later, the events of that day are rarely discussed by those affected. Ryan intimated he might be prepared to give himself up. Everyone remembers the silence. 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. 13 - Victor Gibbs Cash and cheques poured in from well-wishers, some even from children, and a Tragedy Fund was established, in collaboration with Lloyds TSB, Barclays and NatWest, the three banks in Hungerford. After the murders, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 was passed following a report commissioned by then-Home Secretary Douglas Hurd. The damage to Michael Ryan's house after he set fire to it. She scrambled into her house, where she collapsed and her mother immediately called an ambulance. Hazel Haslett escaped with minor injuries. It seemed that whilst he was in the midst of a murderous rampage, he still felt the need to protect children. The final shooting took place at about 13:45. Ryan killed himself at 6.52pm in John O'Gaunt Community Technology College. A few days after the murders, Mr Wainwright - who had carried out the routine checks for Ryan's firearms licence - was astonished to see the Today newspapers front page splash. The birds didn't sing again for five days.". The British Home Secretary, Douglas Hurd, travelled to Hungerford on Sunday, 23 August 1987. Linda was hit in the shoulder and Alison in the right thigh. 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. "It hit at the heart of my professionalism, of everything I'd ever done for the town. He then shot her in the back with a Beretta pistol. The beauty spot near Marlborough is a popular place with dog walkers, picnickers and ramblers. Then the radio announced the names of some of the people whod been shot, but didn't say if they were dead or alive. A few moths before the massacre, Ryan joined the Tunnel Rifle and Pistol Club, in Wiltshire. Ryan spotted another shocked neighbour, Marjorie Jackson, peering through the window at the dead bodies and shot her as well. The loss affected him profoundly and he became increasingly withdrawn, often going off alone to the shooting range, or working on cars. "Breaking in or shooting into a house and killing the inhabitants and then holding the position for a while before moving on, would have appealed to his military ideals and fantasies," says Prof Jackson. He sprayed their car with 11 bullets, Ivor Jackson was shot three times in the chest and once in the head and White was shot too, dying as their car smashed into the police car Ryan had shot at earlier. The town had long been a tourist destination. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher visits Hungerford the day after the attack, Mrs Thatcher meets police and people affected by the incident, This aerial shot shows people fleeing the attack, A Floral tribute outside Hungerford Town Hall, A shocked policeman cradling a young girl after her father was brutally murdered, Graham Brunsden was one of many who risked their lives trying to help the victims, Vicar in church with people praying in Hungerford, Janet Mason whose parents, pensioners Roland and Sheila Mason, were among those killed, along with her husband, two children and brother Chris, Marlyne Vardy at the funeral of husband Eric, Police attend a press conference the day after the incident, Dorothy and Alfred Ryan, parents of murderer Michael Ryan. He put some petrol in his car and some in a canister. 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. The Housing Department of Newbury District Council made accommodation available for those residents of South View who found themselves homeless after the fires Ryan had started. Rather than getting away from the carnage in South View, he started to check the houses to find and help the injured. One man was injured. Later that day, his parents were driving up from their home in Kent to visit him. "He was as good as gold. Unfortunately, the bullet travelled up into Alisons lower back, leaving her permanently disabled. Michael Ryan : The Hungerford Massacre. Seventy-eight bullet holes were found. He then carries on killing with his legally purchased and licensed Kalashnikov capable of killing at 300 yards. 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. Further delays were caused by the firearms squad being in training about 40 miles away. 5 - Abdul Khan Storms survived the shooting. The speed with which he carried out his agenda indicates an element of forethought. Two days later, Mr Playle died from his injuries. Eventually, shots were heard coming from John O'Gaunt School. "I didnt know the Masons at No. The man, Douglas Wainwright, hit twice in the chest and once in the head, died instantly but his wounded wife, Kathleen Wainwright survived. If there is a shooting elsewhere in the world, he braces himself for his phone to ring. Whether Mrs Ryan truly believed her son's imaginings is impossible to tell. S02:E05 - Thomas Watt Hamilton: Dunblane Massacre. AETNUK All Rights Reserved. The woman did not believe them at first but agreed to help them find her. Thomas Hamilton murdered 17 people in Dunblane in 1996. 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. On 19 August 1987, gunman Michael Ryan went on the rampage in the small town of Hungerford. But, although the house was cleaned and modernised and made available for them, they could not bear to return. Ryan fired at them and Victor died instantly, whilst Myrtle died later in hospital. 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. He looked at her. The wheelchair-bound Myrtle was totally vulnerable and Victor threw himself across her to protect her from the crazed gunman. "What he did was the ultimate taking back of control. I need to get better and I will walk again. This Wednesday was no different, with the schools on holiday, many people were taking advantage of the good weather. Hungerford is a pretty canalside town famous for its antiques shops and upmarket boutiques. The Hungerford Report confirmed that Ryans weapons had been legally licenced. Their inability to defend themselves against their bullies means that shame, guilt, anger, hate and the need for revenge builds inside them. The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 was passed in the wake of the massacre. He returned to South View to find bodies on the ground and was asked by police to identify them. An only child, Michael Robert Ryan was born on 18 May 1960 in the Savernake hospital, Hungerford. She was hit in the legs and the hips. The Jacksons remember him as being a model-railway enthusiast and "a lovely man who would help you with anything". The bullet entered her groin, smashed the top of her hip, part of her pelvis and the sciatic nerve, before exiting via her back. "The tourist buses would just park where they usually did and then people used to come up here on foot," Trevor Jackson says. Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary George White was driving Ivor Jackson back from work. "I put two and two together and assumed that the armed robbers from Froxfield had been cornered in Hungerford," he said. The Whitings' son Matthew, who was 11 at the time, was with his childminder in the playground and saw Mr Butler being shot. Mrs Wainwright had the presence of mind to get out of the car and cower behind it. Ryan had holed himself up in a second-floor classroom and was shooting through the window at both police and press helicopters. Ryan was holding one of his most prized possessions - a Chinese copy of a Kalashnikov semi-automatic rifle. Its inhabitants refer to the shooting as "The Tragedy", almost as if it were a natural disaster. Having chased the spaniel away, Ryan returned. Short for his age, Ryan was often teased and bullied but never retaliated and consequently avoided other children. "I think she either refused to [have sex] or resisted," he said. "I didnt know by doing that, by asking him to come home, I was just leading them both into danger.". "[Mr Ryan] was quite the bully. 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. Ryan hadnt stopped there, though. Terrified, crying and huddled against the wall, she begged him not to kill her. This time, close-up. Abdul Rahman Khan, was shot in his garden; George White, was shot in South View while driving Ivor Jackson home from work. John O'Gaunt School in Hungerford, Berkshire, where Michael Robert Ryan committed suicide following the Hungerford Massacre, 8th September 1987. Ryan had been targeting people he happened across in streets and gardens. 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 picked up the picnic groundsheet and ordered Susan to walk with him into the woods. 19th August 1987. Mark Howe murdered his mother Katrina Wardle in a brutal knife attack. 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. 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.