UK gunman on shooting spree kills at least 5, prime minister says

Cameron: 5 killed in shooting spree in NW England

LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron says at least five people have been killed in a shooting spree in rural England.

Cameron made the statement to British lawmakers on Wednesday in the House of Commons.

Cameron said that “I regret to report that a number of people have been shot and at least five people have died.”

Police in Cumbria, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of London, have not released details on the how many people were killed in the incident.

The body of the alleged gunman, 52-year-old Derrick Bird, was found in woods near the Lake District village of Boot. A gun was found alongside the body.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LONDON (AP) — A taxi driver went on a shooting spree across a picturesque rural area of northwestern England on Wednesday, killing several people and wounding others before police discovered the suspect’s body in a wooded area.

Officers have found a body believed to be that of 52-year-old Derrick Bird in woods near the Lake District village of Boot, Cumbria police said. A gun was found alongside the body.

Police say there have been “a number of fatalities” as well as several injuries after shots were fired Wednesday in the small town of Whitehaven and nearby Seascale and Egremont, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of London.

Britain’s Press Association news agency said at least four people were feared dead. The BBC reported there had been shootings in 11 locations.

“I can confirm that we’ve found a body in a wooded area near Boot which we believe to be Mr. Bird, together with a firearm,” Cumbria police Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said. “A formal identification will be made later.”

Witness Alan Hannah told the Whitehaven News that he saw a man with a shotgun in a car near a taxi stand in Whitehaven, about 200 miles (325 kilometers) northwest of London. Witnesses said a body, covered in a sheet, was lying in the street.

Local lawmaker Jamie Reed said the area was in shock.

“This kind of thing doesn’t happen in our part of the world,” he told the BBC. “We have got one of the lowest, if not the lowest, crime rates in the country.”

Multiple shootings are rare in Britain, where gun ownership is tightly restricted and handguns are banned.

In 1987, gun enthusiast Michael Ryan killed 16 people in the English town of Hungerford. In 1996, Thomas Hamilton killed 16 children and a teacher at a kindergarten in Dunblane, Scotland.