Tears as anniversary of rampage that killed 12 marked

Relatives of Bird’s twin brother David and taxi driver Darren Rewcastle were among hundreds of people who observed a two-minute silence of remembrance at noon in Whitehaven.

A similar gesture was held at the same time in Egremont, where five of Bird’s victims lived.

Flags were also lowered to half-mast and people gathered for a brief public show of support for the victims’ families marking the events of June 2 2010, when Bird drove by the taxi rank in Duke Street and started shooting.

As midday approached, hundreds of mourners made their way to the gardens of St Nicholas’s Church, summoned by town crier Rob Romano, and as a church bell tolled, the vicar of Whitehaven, the Rev John Bannister, read out the victims’ names. He paid tribute to the families of Mr Bird and Mr Rewcastle, who wept as friends and neighbours stood by their sides.

At the same time, about 150 people gathered at the war memorial in Egremont.

Several shops closed their doors and flags flew at half-mast at the town’s Royal British Legion club and Egremont Conservative Club.

The bells rang out 12 times at nearby St Mary & Michael Church before the silence was observed.

Bird, 52, first shot his brother, David, before he gunned down solicitor Kevin Commons, 60, and then drove to Duke Street taxi rank where he blasted taxi driver Mr Rewcastle, 43, at point-blank range.