The Lonesome Death of Derrick Bird

This man killed twelve people in Cumbria this week. It was a horrific and multi-murderous act of extreme violence. I was watching the events unfold on the television at the time. He was being pursued by police, including vans, helicopters, motorbikes and so on, it was with intrigue that I watched and wondered about this man, a man in his early 50's who lived alone with his own taxi service.

I don't know what made him flip, no doubt something of an explanation might eventually emerge if the newspapers keep up an interest in the story. As I watched the news, the reports were that he had abandoned his vehicle and was now on foot. He walked into the open country, I wondered what must be on his mind, was he scared, was he remorseful, was he contemplating the consequences of what he had done? Then that was it, he had killed himself in a lonely spot, it was reported that police had recovered a body and that is all they said about it on the news.

It then hit me, the terrible sense of being unloved, the loneliness and desperation of his last moments.

His victims must have felt fear and panic as they were gunned down, maybe for some, resignation, for Derrick Bird the last moments on earth for him must have been tortuous.

When something like this happens the tragedy is far greater than can be personally felt by the victims and the killer, it highlights the woeful inadequacies of all of our lives in general. We can all relate to the loneliness Derrick Bird must have suffered, most of us if not all of us have suffered so at any time in our lives, for him it tipped over into something quite horrific, but I am sure we have all suffered still and dark thoughts resulting from an emotional deficit and strain, intermittently characteristic of the lives we lead. I guess it is when that emotional strain seems relentless and goes on for long periods of time that the frustration builds up.

I know very little about Derrick Bird or his twelve victims, but by God I felt it when he died. May there be peace for the town of Cumbria and for the world over one day.