SEASCALE, England – A taxi driver went on a shooting spree across a rural area of northwestern England on Wednesday, police said, killing 12 people and wounding 25 others before turning the gun on himself.

The rampage in Cumbria was the deadliest mass shooting since 1996 in Britain, where gun ownership is tightly restricted and handguns are banned.

The deadly spree "has shocked the people of Cumbria and around the country to the core," Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde said.

Officers found Bird's body in woods near the Lake District village of Boot. Hyde said two weapons were recovered from the scene.

The shootings occurred in the town of Whitehaven and nearby Seascale and Egremont, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of London. The area is popular with hikers and vacationers.
UK Shooting