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At Least 12 Dead in British Shooting Rampage

   VOA News 02 June 2010

   British  police  say  a  taxi driver has killed at least 12 people and
   wounded 25 others in a shooting spree north of Manchester.
   Authorities  say  the rampage in Cumbria county -- Britain's deadliest
   mass  shooting  in more than a decade -- occurred  Wednesday near the
   town  of  Whitehaven.   Local  health  authorities  say  three of the
   wounded are in critical condition.
   Police  found  the  body  of  the suspected shooter, a 52-year-old man
   identified  as  Derrick  Bird,  in  a  wooded area near the village of
   Boot.  A gun was found alongside his body.
   Witnesses  say  Bird  was seen shooting from his vehicle while driving
   around the area more than 500 kilometers northwest of London.
   Authorities  say his victims include a woman on a bicycle, a farmer in
   his field and at least two fellow taxi drivers.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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