Otley Road: Suspected attacker died from self-inflicted airgun injury, inquest told

Owen Lawrence was taken to hospital last month after two women were injured in Otley Road, in the Headingley area of the city, in a suspected crossbow attack, but he died two days later.

An inquest into Mr Lawrence’s death was opened and adjourned by coroner Oliver Longstaff on Monday morning in Wakefield.

Mr Longstaff said a post-mortem examination confirmed he had died at Leeds General Infirmary as a result of a “self-inflicted gunshot wound”.

The coroner said the provisional cause of death was “airgun injury to the head”.

West Yorkshire Police were called to Otley Road on the afternoon of Saturday April 26 following reports of a man seen with weapons.

Two women, aged 19 and 31, were injured.

One underwent surgery after suffering life-threatening injuries but both have now been discharged from hospital, police said.

The incident occurred on a sunny afternoon where people enjoy the Otley Run pub crawl on Saturdays.

More than 15 pubs are on the route and it is attempted by groups of students and residents, as well as stag and hen dos, often in fancy dress.

Police said at the time that a crossbow and a firearm were recovered after the incident.

The 10-minute-long hearing on Monday heard how Mr Lawrence, from Headingley, had changed his named by deed poll 25 years ago from Owen Lawrence Eames, and that he was registered disabled.

Mr Longstaff said he was identified at the hospital by his mother.

He said he was still waiting for a final report from the pathologist but that the cause of death was unlikely to change.

The coroner said there was a “deal of investigation” still to be done in the case and he adjourned the hearing to a date to be fixed.

He urged people to apply “appropriate restraint” in speculating about the circumstances which led up to Mr Lawrence’s death.

Police believe he was acting alone and said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack.

Mr Lawrence’s Facebook accounts were being examined as the investigation into what happened continued.