Name: |
Michael Ryan |
AKA: |
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D.O.B. |
18
May 1960 |
Kill
Total: |
16 |
Kill
date: |
19
August 1987 |
Kill
Place: |
Hungerford |
Status: |
Single |
Occupation: |
Labourer |
Victim: |
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Court: |
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Case No: |
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Judge: |
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Prosecution: |
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Defence: |
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External References
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FACTFILE
27-year-old Michael Ryan shot dead 16
people and wounded 14 others in the small farming
community of Hungerford in Berkshire during the summer of 1987. Armed with two
semi-automatic
rifles and a
handgun,
Ryan went on a "Rambo style" attack through
the streets of Hungerford, he barricaded himself in a
school building where he killed himself with a single
gunshot to his head. Ryan, loved guns and television
violence.
Wednesday 19th August 1987, Ryan
drove to local beauty spot, Savernake forest, there he
encountered Sue Godfrey, At gunpoint he forced her to
strap her children into her car, and then led her deep
into the woods, carrying a groundsheet. The elder of the
children heard shots and saw Ryan run to his car and
drive off. She unstrapped herself and her brother, and
went looking for her mother – instead she found a
seventy-five year old woman, Myrna Rose, who raised the
alarm. When police found Mrs Godfrey, she had been shot
13 times in the back. The presence of the groundsheet,
and the position of the wounds suggest that rape may had
been intended.
Ryan then drove to his usual petrol station and filled
his car up, but instead of paying, he took a gun from
the boot of his car and fired at the owner's wife,
Kakoub Dean. He missed, and moved in to fire again, but
the gun was empty. Ryan then drove away at high speed.
He reached his house at 12.40pm, changed
into military clothing and collected three guns from his
arsenal. He put those, plus an extensive survival kit
into his car, doused the house in petrol and set it
alight.
Attempting to flee the scene, Ryan became
angry when his car would not start. Infuriated, Ryan
shot five bullets into the car, then turned the gun, a
semi-automatic rifle, on neighbours Roland and Sheila
Mason, who were in their garden next door, shooting them
both dead.
He then began running up and down the lane
he lived in, South View, firing shots indiscriminately.
He wounded several neighbours – Marjory Jackson in her
home, as she phoned her husband for help, and
fourteen-year-old Lisa Mildenhall and Fiona Pask, the
mother of one of the kids he used to fire air pellets
at, as he turned toward Hungerford Common, before
killing Ken Clements, who was walking down the street.
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Traffic policeman PC Roger Brereton was the next victim,
killed as he responded to a call on his radio. Dozens of
bullets were fired into the police car as it turned into
South View. Brereton managed to get out a distress call
before he died og his injuries.
Ryan fired into another car, wounding
occupants Angela and Linda Chapman, shot Abdul Khan and
Alan Lepetit on the street, wounding Lepetit and killing
Khan, and fired into the vehicle that brought Majory
Jackson's husband home in response to her phone call,
killing the driver, George White, and injuring Ivor
Jackson, who feigned death, hoping Ryan wouldn't
investigate and finish him off.
At this point his mother, Dorothy Ryan, returned home,
and walked into South View, trying to persuade her son
to stop. He shot her twice, killing her instantly.
Finally, he left South View, slipping
unnoticed into a playing field, as people tried to deal
with the carnage he had left in the street – seven dead,
and five wounded, and a house in flames.
While the Police Armed Offender Squad got themselves
prepared and tried to locate and isolate him, Ryan
seemed to just stroll through Hungerford, leaving a
trail of dead and wounded behind him.
TOP
Betty Tolladay, wounded in the leg as she
came into her garden to complain, thinking the noise was
children letting off fireworks, Francis Butler, shot
three times and killed as he walked his dog in a park,
Marcus Barnard, killed as he drove his taxi to pick up a
fare, wounding salesman John Storms, then killing Ken
Wainwright, Erie Vardy and Sandra Hill, each as they
drove along Priory Avenue.
Ryan then broke into the home of Jack and
Myrtle Gibbs, shooting them both. Jack died instantly,
Myrtle, from her wounds the next day.
From the house he fired several times,
injuring two people in their homes, and fatally wounding
Ian Playle, as he drove past.
Finally, Ryan made his way to the John O' Gaunt School,
barricaded himself into one of the rooms where he
had been taught, and carried on a terse conversation
with police At 6.52pm, he shot himself.
Many theories were suggested about what
caused the tragedy – newspapers drew parallels
between the actions of Ryan and John Rambo in the film
"First Blood", but there was no evidence that Ryan had
ever seen the film; it certainly wasn't something he
talked about to colleagues. Fantasy role playing games
have also been suggested as material in influencing him.
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