I knew I had to be the strong one of the family, I knew Ivor wouldn't cope.". A right little sod. He was still labouring under the impression that there might have been a shooting accident. When Ryan was old enough, he purchased a shotgun and began to collect other weapons, which he proudly displayed in a glass cabinet in his bedroom. Michael Ryan went on the rampage through the Berkshire town of Hungerford in 1987 shooting 16 people dead and wounding 14 others. "He was a good man. Read more: Amazing archive photos show the changing face of Reading in the 1960s, Read more: Caversham Park Village from the air 50 years ago. "It was just routine. One man was injured. Michael Ryan murdered 16 people before turning the gun on himself. At 6.52 pm, Brightwell heard a single muffled shot from the classroom. But we've stuck by each other.". "She asked me what my dad looked like," he says. Find professional Hungerford Michael Ryan videos and stock footage available for license in film, television, advertising and corporate uses. Hungerford is a pretty canalside town famous for its antiques shops and upmarket boutiques. She shouted at him, saying, Is that you making that noise? However, they stipulated that Ryan install a suitable Chubb steel cabinet in which to safely lock his weapons. Cash and cheques poured in from well-wishers, some even from children, and a Tragedy Fund was established, in collaboration with Lloyds TSB, Barclays and NatWest, the three banks in Hungerford. This seemed to fit the profile of Michael Ryan. As Mr Playle rounded a bend in Priory Street, Ryan fired a single shot. "I think he fully intended to fake his own death at home and disappear at that point," says Prof Jackson. "The tourist buses would just park where they usually did and then people used to come up here on foot," Trevor Jackson says. People were said to have run into the streets chanting, The bastards dead, the bastards dead, whilst children cycled around on their bikes, yelling Good riddance, and people in pubs toasted his death. But what he did not realise was he was personally affected by the shootings. Ryan immediately turned to Alan Lepetit, a coalman who had helped install the Chubb steel cabinet for Ryans firearm collection. It was absolute panic stations. They were unable to refuse him as he had no record of mental instability and no criminal record. Prof Craig Jackson believes Ryan had a sexual motive. Brereton was hit by four of the bullets and died in his car. This documentary examines Ryan's childhood, his acquisition of guns, and the killings. hungerford massacre photos. Luckily she hadn't been injured. Mr Playle's blue Ford Sierra crashed after he was shot by Ryan. George White and PC Roger Brereton were in their cars when they were shot. It was one of the worst mass shootings in British history. At around 12:45pm, Ryan arrived at his next destination, 4 South View, a dead-end street in Hungerford, where he lived with his widowed mother. Ryan's mother Dorothy was shot not far from her home in South View as she pleaded with her son to stop the shooting. Ryan said he would not exit the building until he had news of his mothers condition.Some of the things Ryan shouted out the window to Brightwell were, Hungerford must be a bit of a mess; If only the police car hadnt turned up. He arrived back in South View in time to set fire to his home, shoot his dog, chase another dog, and take three guns from his car before killing Mr and Mrs Mason at 12:47. "My brother and sister-in-law were on the list.". As they drove down Priory Road, Ryan shot at their car and Playle died from a single bullet wound to the neck from the Beretta. He would also brag to people about things he had not done, in a string of lies that made him seem far more capable and experienced than he actually was. As his wife, Mary, says: "So many of our family were shot that day. I believe Ryan had probably been fantasising about it on a low level, but the events that day - and his personality type - led to it. Police during the investigation in August 1987, Killer Michael Robert Ryan murdered several people while they were driving, The remains of Michael Ryan's house in South View, after he set fire to it. He left his shotguns in his broken-down car, grabbed a pistol and two automatic rifles and almost immediately shot dead Roland and Sheila Mason, who were in their garden at the back of 6 South View. After the murders, though, visitors were less satisfied by remaining in the attractive main street. As the brothers were cleaning up, a reporter burst in. Although many neighbours described Mr Ryan as a pleasant man, there were rumours he was especially strict with his son. Betty Tolladay, 71, had heard loud bangs, and thinking it was children playing with firecrackers, had come out into her back garden to shout at them to keep the noise down. "I was desperate to get into the house. People were sheltering in doorways and I pulled up and asked what was going on. "It hasn't got any easier. The police officers at the scene did not apprehend him at this point, as they were unarmed. He headed straight there and was greeted by a nurse who said Kathleen was fine and Douglas was in the operating theatre. This time, close-up. 33 years ago today, a sleepy Berkshire town was rocked by one of the most shocking mass shootings ever seen in the UK. Lepetit had heard about shooting in his neighbourhood and was hurrying home to check on his family. Without replying, Ryan shot his mother twice in the stomach and once in the leg. 11 - Eric Vardy Whether Mrs Ryan truly believed her son's imaginings is impossible to tell. It was confirmed that Michael Robert Ryan had fatally shot himself at 6.52 pm on Wednesday, 19 August 1987, with a single gunshot to the head. Ryans school friend remembers his mother would buy the boy whatever he wanted, but his father "couldnt be played" and "wore the trousers" in the house. //-->