Cumbrian killer’s family tell of guilt they feel

In their first television interview since the shootings on June 2 last year, the wife and three daughters of Bird’s twin brother David – who was gunned down in the rampage – tell of how they constantly feel the need to apologise to his 11 other victims and the wider community of West Cumbria.

They say the tragedy has brought them closer to the killer’s sons, Graeme and Jamie, whom they say are “hurting like everybody else”.

Taxi driver Bird gunned down David at his farmhouse in Lamplugh before later shooting dead his brother’s best friend, solicitor Kevin Commons, outside his home in Frizington.

Bird, 52, then went into Whitehaven town centre before heading out into the countryside and picking off his other victims at random before taking his own life in a secluded wood.

Speaking to ITV, David Bird’s wife Susan – who was separated from her husband – said she instinctively knew his twin was responsible for his death when she learned of the shootings.

“I just knew it was Derrick because (of) David talking to me the week before it all happened,” she said.

“I don’t think anybody, anybody would have known it would go to those extremes.”

She continued: “The biggest question is why, obviously. I suppose we’ve come to terms with (the fact) there’s questions that will never get answered.

“The ultimate thing is the fact that David’s not here, that’s the first thing.

“Then you’ve got to cope with, I suppose, a bit of guilt that all the victims are not here as well. Because at the end of the day it’s still family and I know we shouldn’t, and people tell us we shouldn’t feel guilt, but it’s hard.”

Daughter Tracey added: “Everywhere you go you feel like everybody’s looking at you and saying ‘You know Derrick Bird? That’s his family.’ Not ‘Oh, you know, that’s David Bird’s family’.

“And you feel apologetic all the time. You feel like....at the inquest (held in March) you felt like you wanted to say – when a detail would come out about what he did to a victim – you felt like you wanted to say sorry to that person for what he’d done.

“You just feel like you want to say sorry all the time for what he’s done to everybody else, to the community.”

Speaking about their relationship with Bird’s family, Susan said: “I can’t even imagine how they’re coping with it and we just still love them to bits and don’t hold anything against them whatsoever.”

Tracey added: “If anything the feelings that you have for the rest of the family are stronger now because what they’ve been through. It’s just unimaginable the pain that they must have gone through, to lose their dad and everything that came with it must have been horrendous for them.”

David’s third daughter Rachel said: “We’ve never had any animosity. It was hard on the first day of the inquest, walking into a room with the other 11 people’s families but when you’d done it and they were totally fine with you and they realised that we’ve lost our Dad as well, it did help in a way.”

Sue said: “There’s nobody who has been nasty to us at all, quite the opposite. It’s just what’s in our heads.”

A two-minute silence will be held at noon today in West Cumbria to mark the anniversary of the shootings.

Cumbria, One Year On will be broadcast on ITV1 at 10.35pm tonight.