EP193: The Hungerford Massacre - podcast episode cover

EP193: The Hungerford Massacre

Jul 24, 202339 min
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Episode description

THANK YOU TO AIMEE D. FOR SUGGESTING THIS EPISODE!


On August 19, 1987, the little town of Hungerford, Berkshire, England lost its innocence. On that day, Michael Ryan reached his limit and decided to take the firearms he owned legally and go on a rampage. Over the course of six hours, Michael killed 16 people seemingly indiscriminately and wounded 15 others. This mass killing prompted the government in England to outlaw assault rifles.

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Sources:
  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7aXFtF6QT8 (Our Life, Killing Spree)
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/dec/08/broadcasting.tvandradio
  3. https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/gallery/hungerford-massacre-35-years-horrific-24808652
  4. https://www.jesip.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Hungerford-Shootings.pdf
  5. https://murderpedia.org/male.R/r/ryan-michael-robert.htm
  6. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/inside-indulgent-lonely-childhood-hungerford-11162474
  7. https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/hungerford-massacre
  8. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/fb-5422329/What-happened-Hungerford-massacre-is.html
  9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3502821/
  10. https://sk.sagepub.com/video/popup/killing-spree-michael-ryan-the-hungerford-massacre
  11. https://aoav.org.uk/2014/hungerford-1987/
  12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/19/newsid_2534000/2534669.stm
  13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/16/newsid_3110000/3110949.stm
  14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/13/newsid_2543000/2543277.stm
  15. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firearms-law-guidance-to-the-police-2012/guide-on-firearms-licensing-law-accessible-version#chapter-1-an-overview--frequently-asked-questions-about-firearms-licensing
  16. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/hungerford_massacre
  17. https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/michael-ryan-and-the-hungerford-massacre

Transcript

This episode may contain content of a graphic nature, including descriptions of physical and sexual violence against adults, children, and animals. Listener discretion is advised. Hi everyone, I'm Tanya and I'm Talia and we are Crimes and Consequences, a true crime podcast. Hi Talia, Hi Tanya. I have a new episode for everyone today, So welcome back to all of our listeners. Welcome

back. Before I get into the story this week, I would like to remind everyone hit the follow like subscribe everything, whatever, whatever, whatever button, whatever button, whatever, I'm whatever app Yeah, we don't care. We're not picky. So this is a story that I've never heard of and it was requested by Amy d and she's from Belfast, Ireland. A tactical firearms officer for the Thames Valley Police found himself in a bizarre situation on August

nineteenth, nineteen eighty seven. It was otherwise a quiet and ordinary day in the small town of Hungerford. The officer had been trained in conflict resolution and he worked on lots of severe cases. But this isn't like domestic violence or are we talking like yeah, I think so, maybe like this and stuff like that. There was a man who had barricaded himself inside the empty John o'gaunt school, and he was asking him to surrender and talk. The man

coldly replied, quote, Hungerford must be a bit of a mess. None of this would have happened if my car would have started. End. Quote what does that mean? It's weird? Right, within minutes, the Hungerford massacre would come to a shocking end. And now, even thirty six years later, nobody knows exactly how it started. Well, the car didn't start, Yeah right, yes, carwouldn't start. Hungerford is a small market town around fifty eight hundred people in Berkshire, England. And I'm sure I'm saying

it wrong. It's England. I know the town sits sixty miles west of London and is in close proximity to Salisbury and Marlborough. Hungerford is precisely what one might picture like a little English town might be. There's schools, doctors, dentists. There's open spaces like lots of land where children can play. Many residents raise chicken and livestock in their backyards, and it's considered a quiet, peaceful place to live, or it was, or it was, interestingly

outside of the Hungerford massacre. The town hit another crime connection as it was the birthplace of a man named Robert Snooks, who was the last highwayman to be hanged for robbery in England in eighteen o two. That's quite a gap in crying. It's almost like two hundred years before I get into the actual story. It's important to go through the UK's stance and laws surrounding firearms and their ownership, because it's a lot different there than it is here in the

US. Okay, it becomes difficult to pinpoint the exact laws, as England and Wales have separate laws from Scotland, from Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and other islands. In the United Kingdom, in most cases, the ownership of fully automatic, submachine and pump action rifles is illegal. Handguns are also prohibited for public use. Some rifles and shotguns are allowed, However, there are strict specifications that must be met, like I'm thinking they probably use

them for hunting and things like that. According to the United Kingdom's government website, a person must apply for a license to own a firearm and demonstrate quote good reason to own it. I want to kill someone exactly, they would probably not get you a license. Collectors, hobby shooters and farmers are often granted licenses under these strict conditions. The police also conduct checks to ensure firearms are being stored correctly. So there's just a ton of technicalities that you have

to go through in order to own a firearm. And in nineteen ninety six, the gun laws in the United Kingdom took a drastic turn following the the Blame massacre where sixteen children and one teacher were killed in Scotland. Oh, shooting sprees are uncommon in the United Kingdom, fortunately for them. And that's the last of your little firearms, all right. August nineteenth, nineteen eighty seven. As I mentioned, it's a typical Wednesday for thirty three year old

Susan Godfrey. That morning, Susan packed her two children, Hannah who was four and James, who was two, the car and she drove to Savernanc Forest for a little picnic. Following the picnic, the family was due to attend of birthday party and Susan wanted to make sure the children ate before they got to the party. She took him to a picnic. Yeah, and around noon Susan pulled into an isolated clearing and began setting up the picnic. She got the blanket from the car's trunk. She laid it on the ground

when she heard something behind her a shit oh. Before she had time to react, she felt the presence of another person. It was a man and he was armed. Twenty seven year old Michael Robert Ryan had been watching Susan and her children through the trees. He was watching, and he was waiting, crappy. He was dressed in paramilitary terrifying right and army gear as if he was on like a recommission some rambo shit right. Michael barked orders at

Susan and structing her to walk into the foe. She complied, and then she felt the barrel of a gun stuck in her back. Michael laid down a sheet on the ground before he made Susan lay on it, and then he shot her thirteen times. What and Susan late dying. Michael marched out of the woods, ignoring her two screaming children at this time, just going to ask where the kids were. They were still strapped into their car seat. She didn't gotten him out of the car yet. Michael got into his

car and drove out of the Severn Nick Forest. Susan's body was discovered sometime later after her two children were found roaming in the forest. And remember they're four and two. Yeah, so they somehow buckled. Yeah, I'm sure Hannah, who was formed, she probably figured it out. Figured it out, Yeah, she did, and she unbuckled her and her brother's belts before they went looking for their mom. Oh man. Yeah. The Thames Valley

Police were called to the scene. Spent shell casings were littering the ground on which Susan Godfrey lay. Little did the Thames Valley Police know that this was just the start of one of the UK's worst mass shootings. I never heard of this either. So I'll tell you a little bit about Michael Robert Ryan. Oh please tell me about this asshole. Right. He was born May eighteenth, nineteen sixty to his parents, Alfred and Dorothy, and he was

born in Hungerford. The Ryan family dynamic differed somewhat from those around them and Michael's parents because they were older when he was born. Alfred had a different view of family life and left his wife Dorothy to raise Michael. Alfred instead focused on work and I don't mean he left the family. I mean like it was her major responsibility to raise awife. She's a housewife, homemaker, and he focused on work and putting food on the table. From the very

beginning, Michael was different. He was far more sullen than other children, and he didn't mix well with others. A strange little kid from the start. Boys in elementary school they all get together and they play games, and you know, they play football, and they do all those kinds of things that you normally think little boys do. But Michael preferred to sit alone and just like fantasize in his mind, like he was more okay okay. He

was never a high achiever, and he coasted through school. He was apparently bullied, which only made him more introverted. Those who grew up around him stated he was a mommy's boy, and his parents, especially as Mom, gave him whatever he wanted, so he spoiled. Yes, he was over indulgent, and he didn't even know the meaning of the word No. He just got everything you wanted. As Michael grew older, he became interested in

the army and military and that kind of shit. Most boys' age also had an interest in army and weapons, but Michael took it to the extreme. He became obsessed with guns and ammy mission, subscribing to magazines and reading as many books as possible. He also began morphing himself into like a little paramilitary soldier, no, visiting the local army surplus stores and picking out camouflage clothes. And that was a fashion statement. All right, all right, it's

a fantasy, he say, exactly. In one shocking incident, a childhood friend recalled the day Michael's interests took a turn for the bazaar. At the bottom of the Ryan's property, the family had a barn where they kept animals and grew crops. One afternoon, Michael and his friends ventured into the barn, where Michael began blasting the door with his air rifle. Yeah, something in his mind just changed, and days later he became a member of the

local gun club, where he shot pistols and rifles. Michael was reportedly a good shooter and often won awards and competitions. Others at the gun club were friendly with him, but Michael didn't know really how to recip kate. He continued visiting the gun club throughout his teenage years. And into adulthood, his interest in survivalism grew. Oh boy, I know, and he bought himself a flak jacket. What's that like? A bulletproof jacket? Everybody needs one

of them, right, You never know, Leah. I mean here in America, it's probably a smart purchase. But I mean, you get shot going to the grocery store. But I think in the United Kingdom is a little different. Tensions in Michael's mind were increasing, as was his gun collection,

and something's about to crack. Michael's about to crack. Yeah. After leaving seven Lake Forest in his first victim Susan behind, Michael drove his Vowhall Astraw to the Golden Aero Service, which is a gas station in Froxfield, which is really close to Hungerford. According to the gas station owners, Michael was a regular customer who would fill up with small amounts of gasoline, pay and then leave without really just engaging much conversation. I don't know his business

and got out. Yeah, but August nineteenth was different. Mister Dean, the server on duty that day, I think they must have like people who pump your gas. Oh back in the day, ye, back in the day. She noticed that Michael looked distracted in days. She saw him standing at the pump filling his car with more and more gas than usual. At one point, gas almost spilled out of the tank. As Michael was in such a day's like he just wasn't paying attention. Zoned out, Yeah,

zoned out, just pumping his gas. After filling his car, Michael filled a gasolene camp Oh Boy, and he waited for the only customer to leave. Right slowly, he walked towards the booth where Miss Deane was sitting. She believed he was there to pay for the gasolene, but instantly her life changed. Shit. I know, Michael Withdrew's guy and shot once into the

booth. Incredibly, she was able to duck out of the way of the bullet for her right how terrifying though, but undeterred, Michael walked to the side of the booth where there was a larger opening, and he pointed the barrel directly at her head. And I don't know if it was Locke or God was on her side, but the gun either jammed or ran out of bullets and she survived. Wow. Realizing what happened, Michael ran into his car merged on to the A four, which is heading toward Hungerford, so

it's a highway. She called the police, who were then beginning to put the incidents together, like, oh, this is the same weirdo. Fifteen minutes later, Michael arrived at Southfu, the street where he had grown up. The home that he grew up on. Southfu held many happy memories for the Ryan family, and at this point in nineteen eighty seven, it was just Michael and his mother living there because his father had passed away a few

years earlier. He went into his childhoot home and grabbed his arsenal of weapons. He took a nine millimeter handgun, it was a Barrettas semi automatic pistol, an M one carbine assault rifle, an AK forty seven rifle. Oh shit, and he took hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Dorothy Ryan, Michael's mom. She wasn't home at the time, so thank god. Yeah, well, Michael was left to do whatever he wanted. And yeah, no one there to stop him. I don't know if his mother would have stopped

him, she would have noticed, right, you don't know. After stacking up, Michael headed to his car with a full tank of gas and tried to start it, but it kind of sputtered. The sputtering continued. Oh shit, this is where the car doesn't start right, Like this just pissed him off. His car's just sputtering, and it was his only possible escape from what he's created so far. I mean, he's already left one person,

dad, but he was going to do more in the car. He's gonna drive somewhere, right, And shit, he stacked up on all this, right, he wasn't just what weapons going to McDonald's get a burder, No, that's true. He needed his car to go kill Moore, to kill kill Moore. So he's all pissed. So he shoots his car five times. Oh yeah, in a fit of rage. His fury had reached its crescendo. He grabbed the gasoline can, headed into his childhood home and

just doused everything in sight. Seconds later, Yeah, the house is now engulfed in flames, and that's not going to get attention. And hello, yeah, well he's got no vehicle to take off. The shots and the fire certainly attracted the attention of the residence on the street, and just a few doors down from Michael's home, Ronald Mason was outside fixing his fence. Michael Ryan walked towards Ronald as if he was going to strike up a conversation,

but instead he shot him. Yeah. He pulled out one of his many guns and shot Ronald six times. Oh man. He then turned to Ronald's wife, Sheila, who was outside as well. He shot her once, and Sheila and Ronald died at the scene. Michael continued walking along the road, almost as if he hadn't just shut two more people dead in broad daylight and burned his house down, and burned his fucking house down, And before I tell you more, we're gonna take a break. The next house

he came across was that of Marjorie Jackson. The time was close to one pm, and the commotion had attracted attention along South Few Street. So this isn't far from his house though, right right, yeah, this is yeah, I think this is the next house after Ronald Mason. We jeez. Marjorie watched from the window as Michael shut indiscriminately. Then he turned to her. He stormed up the driveway, shooting at her through the window. A bullet hit Marjorie in the back, forcing her to the ground. I know.

She spent the rest of the afternoon keeping load of the ground while ending to her wound. It would take several hours for emergency services to be allowed down that street. Oh my gosh, they barricaded like the street. Yeah, and by that point it was too late for some of these residents. Michael continued the rampage, making his way down the street. Children and teenagers were playing on the roads when they heard instructions to go outside, but the

instructions weren't from their parents, but instead from Michael himself. Throughout his rampage, he made it clear that he had no intention of shooting children, at least for the most part. Well, why didn't they come down the street and try to get him? Right? I don't understand. I don't understand he didn't want to hurt children. I mean, he did leave Susan's children. That's so kind of know alive, I know, so kind. Fourteen

year old Lisa Mildenhall would be Michael's next victim. She's still a child, I know, exactly like the other children. She had scrambled to the front door of her home, praying that the knob would slide open with ease and leader to safety, but just as she reached the front door, Michael shot her in the legs and stomach. She survived her injuries, and she didn't

make it inside her home to safety. Sylvia Pasco, who lived next door, recalled hearing a frightened Lisa running into her home before she fell silent and collapsed. South Few Street has a path to what is called Hungerford Common and it's a large field with some brush and trees. And after walking their dog in the commons, fifty one year old Kenneth Clements and his family walked on to Southfew Street. Ambieknownst to Kenneth and his family. They stepped in the

middle of this shit. Michael shot Kenneth point blank, but allowed the rest of the family to flee. At twelve fifty eight pm, Police Constable PC Roger Brereton received orders to drive on to south Few Street and secure the scene. PC Brereton had worked as a traffic officer in Newbury for the Thames Valley

Police. Oh it's a little bit more than traffic going all right. As he pulled his car onto Southview, he was met with a hail of bullets twenty three to be exact, and four of which hit him, killing him in small fuck. As this fucked, the Thames Valley Police arrived at the scene. More officers arrived shortly after and found one of their own dead. Roadblocks had been set up, but angry residents were eager to get through.

At this point, the Thames Valley Police didn't disclose why the roads were closed or even what was going on, So people are like, why why can't they get down? The block is happening? What's going on? While the rest of Hungerford went about their lives, Michael was committing one of the worst spree killings in British history, and many residents were unaware of even what was unfolding in their little town. I told it, it's only like fifty eight

hundred people in this town. Mother and daughter, Linda and Alison Chapman, were driving along Southview around one o'clock when they saw a bright flash. They had been shot at. I thought it was it was like barricaded or blocked off. How'd they get dried? I don't know. I think while the police I think showed up a little after that because PC Brereton was there about one o'clock too. They had been shot at. They would join the evergrowing

list of Hungerford victims. Incredibly, both mother and daughter survived, although according to the BBC, Alison was left permanently disabled after a bullet penetrated her spine. I know, Michael seemed not to care whether he left living victims, and he didn't return to ensure that they were dead, Like you just want to call, you just want to cause damage? Yeah, he shot it whatever and listic, right, I mean, once he fired at them,

he just moved on to the next victim. People who knew Michael all of their lives had suddenly been faced with a gun to the heads. Many tried to talk him down or played for their lives, but their please went unanswered. What the fuck? I know, Michael was despondent and almost in another world. Entirely nothing mattered to him, and he carried on moving like a robot or a soldier, following orders. Well, one thing mattered to him,

yeah, kill, shooting as many people as they possibly could. George White and Ivor Jackson, who was Marjorie Jackson's husband, were turning on to Southview in their Toyota Crown when they too were shot. George died instantly, but I've survived, I ever told the BBC he played dead in an attempt to save himself. He waited, holding his breath and closing his eyes until he heard the footsteps like gradually fade. That's gotta be terrifying. I've often

thought like, how could I play dead? I don't know. I feel like i'd be a hot mess, right, like I think i'd be like in such a panic. I don't think I could slow down my breathing all right, I wouldn't think straight right like I think again, Oh, for sure, i'd be dead in any type of situation like that. We're like, fuck you fuck, I know, I'm for sure. I don't. I don't do well in those kinds of situations. I'm guessing I can't calm myself down. I'm thinking, I mean, I've never been in this situation.

But eighty four year old Abdul Khan, he was shot three times by Michael as he Modus Grass. He's still He's out there, Monus fucking Grass. Hello, there's a house burning. Gun shots? What's going on? Buddy? I know these people are like giant yards or something, But I don't knock a house burning. I know, I ever remembers opening his eyes and seeing Dorothy Ryan, Michael's mom. After spending the day at the market, she had just returned to Southew Street in the middle of Oh shit,

can you imagine? Oh man, I beat his ass, Get over your Michael. She got there, she was like, what the hell is going on? You are grounded? Her house is burned down, right, I mean yeah, yeah. Bodies were all over the streets. The air was filled with just people like, screaming, panicking, groaning. Still want like, why the why the police aren't doing something? I know, but maybe it all happened in a few minutes. I don't know. Dorothy ran toward

her son. She was going to try and comfort him. She'd done throughout his life. Don't tell me, Michael, though, he wasn't really interested in that at this point. No, what he didn't want cuddling right now at this moment, Okay, Dorothy was the only woman and possibly the only person Michael had really ever loved, and if somebody could talk him down, it was her. But when she reached her arms out for a hug, she was shot, you you were gonna say that, point blank? Stop

it? In the oh fu And he watched her die. What the mother fuck right? The Tames Railey police had set up a command post on Southview and he had instructed Michael to lay down his weapons and surrender. Okay, Michael had also shot several other residents, who thankfully survived. I had. Around one twenty pm, Michael left Southview, taking a meandering path that led

to the Hunger for Common. Along the path lay the War Memorial Recreation Grounds, where Michael found his next victim, who was twenty six year old Francis Butler, who was walking his dog. Francis was shot several times and left to die in the gravel. Michael took off as if he was on a peaceful summer walk. I mean, he wasn't running anywhere, he wasn't in a pan taking a stroll with his fucking gun. Was his fucking guns. Minutes later, thirty year old Marcus Bernard was shot through his car window.

According to the Crime and Investigation Network, Marcus was driving to a nearby hospital to visit his wife, who had just given birth to their son. Oh no, Michael watched as Marcus slumped over the steering wheel. For a brief moment, he had clarity. The ak forty seven killing machine he had used to kill Marcus Francis and others minutes earlier, now represented something horrific to him. Anna Bazarre ritual. Michael laid the gun on the ground and he stared

at it, perhaps hoping that this was all just some weird dream. He was in, what the hell is this? Within seconds, though, the murderous rampage once again started. Oh so, he had just ate very briefly. He had a brief moment. He laid down the gun. He kind of was like, what the fuck? And then he's like I made a mistake. And he's like, nope, no, and he picked up the AK forty seven, threw the strap over his shoulder, and he carried on walking down the path in the commons, like fuck it. Off duty police

officer Truv Waynewright knew what was happening in Southfield. His wife had called him moments earlier in a panic after hearing a bullet spray over their back garden. PC Waynewright of the Thames Valley Police had vetted Michael a year prior, in nineteen eighty six, when he applied for an upgrade to his firearms license. How much of an upgrade you need to get at AK forty seven. Well, I think you probably needed a lot like you can get a pistol this

soul launchers. PC Waynwright saw that Michael had no criminal history and there were no concerns for his mental well being, so he granted the upgrade, allowing Michael to own high powered weapons, the very weapons he was using. After leaving the Common, Michael arrived at Priory Avenue, which leads to Terence Hill. Walking along Priory Avenue, he came side by side with a car inside Sat Douglas and Kathleen Waynewright, the parents of PC Trevor Wingwright, the off

duty police officer I just talked about. Kathleen and Douglas had recently sold their house in Tent which was about one hundred miles away, and they came to Hungerford to visit their son. Michael shot Douglas twice in the head and once in the chest. Kathleen did survive. She crawled out the passenger seat and crouched outside. Michael reloaded his gun but walked away, allowing her to live. Eric Vardy and Stephen Ball were driving up Terence Hill, unaware of what

was going on that this rampage was happening. Eric was shot as he drove. He died sometimes later due to his injuries. The teams Valley Police were desperately trying to lock down the area, but the roads and avenues snaked into one another, giving him many escape rounds. And there's pathways and stata And I'm thinking they probably aren't prepared for this type. Yeah, it's a tiny town. I don't think police are usually prepared for some crazy ass wild mass

shooting. So Wednesday was market Day in Hungerford and turning left onto Priory Avenue took you straight to the market square. Oh shit, I'm picturing like a farmer's market. Yeah. Michael was confronted with a choice. Is he going to go left toward this market square or is he going to go right? Left, like I said, would take him to this busy market. No, I would go if I was him, Hell, yeah, you're gonna choose many people. But he chose to bear to the right, making his

way along Terence Hill. After a short walk, he found another victim, twenty two year old Sandra Hill, who he shot once in the chest. Even though Michael had done a lot of walking, he really didn't cover all that much ground. By two pm, his adrenaline rush was beginning to slow down. So what has it been like an hour? Yeah, this has been like an hour maybe a little more. And let's not forget Susan, right, Oh, yeah, Susan, because that was I think that was

probably around noon. Yeah, so probably this has been two hours. You're right, His drenaline's coming down. But shortly after he shot Sandra in the chest, he turned his gun on Victor Gibbs and his wife, who used a wheelchair. What what her name was, Myrtle? Oh, Myrtle and the wheelchair, the wheelchair and Victor died instantly, and she died later. Shortly before two pm, Michael claimed his sixteenth fatality. Sixteenth fatalitytality thirty four

year old Ian Lale I hope, I'm saying that right. He was hit by a bullet to the neck. Ian had brought his family along with him to Hungerford for a shopping trip, and he died two days later on August twenty first, at the hospital. By this point, Michael's, like I said, he's coming down from the adrenaline. Is buzz a certain wear off. Maybe le's go look the bathroom, getting hungry. I mean at some point, I mean hours into this ship. You're a human. I'm just

saying, I know, slow it down. He was beginning to count. Are heavy too, right, by the way, Yeah, they are carrying that around for I've never hit an AK forty seven. I don't know, but I mean a handgun's heavy. Yeah, I don't know. To me, it is a sorry side trick. I'm saying. He was beginning to come to terms with what he'd done. Had he really killed his mother? Yeah, I mean the only person he had ever loved in cold blood?

He fucking did. Yeah, he fucking did. Nearly two pm, teams Valley Police and Tactical Response Units received word that Michael had just been spotted walking into John o'gaunt Secondary High School. Please tell me school's non in session. No, it is empty because it's August. And this is where we started the story. Oh yeah, Michael had attended John o'gaunt as a teenager some twelve years earlier, and it was a place where he had faced the most

bully. Yeah, I being asked, right, all right? All right? Luckily for the police, like you mentioned, the school was shut down for the past six weeks. You know it's summertime and students were not due back until the first week of September. Every entrance and exit to the school was closed off. So now Michael's barricaded himself in sight and I was just a waiting game. Huntygan in if everything's closed. Oh yeah, he's a gun girl. He probably blew off a block or something. I don't mean,

I've seen. I don't know. Michael still had three weapons, and he still had plenty of ammunition. Even the tactical response unit each of those officers only had one weapon each. I know he's only one person, but at least he's contained. Yeah, exactly, Slowly but surely. The police began to close a circle around the school, putting as much pressure as they could on Michael. He had an advantage though, is he was familiar with the school's layout. Yeah, but you can only be in that school for

so long. Eat their chocolate pudding in the cafeteria. Do they even ham chocolate pudding? I don't know. You got to leave. Yeah, but for hours the police and Michael were in a standoff, and around five thirty pm is when the Thames Valley Police finally pinpointed exactly where he was in the school is a lot of hours. Yeah, this is all fucking a dude. Michael knew there was no way out of this. He's just like, you know, yeah, there is no way. No, you're fucked.

Basically, officers held their breath as they saw an arm reach out the window. Snipers and firearms officers were ready to shoot at a moment's notice, but Michael was hanging onto a white cloth at the window. Oh police, yeah, letting the officers know he wanted to surrender or at least talk. A line of communication between Michael and a crisis responder was created, and one of

the first things Michael asked for it was his mother. Okay, nobody, No, dude, you've shot her point blank in the head, right, Like, what do you think? So why, he asked. They're not sure exactly. He knew he had shot her, like you said, plant blank. The crisis responder and Michael talked, and it seemed to Michael may have been opening to surrendering. He asked the officer if his dog had been found safe and well following the house fire. Oh yeah, that's right,

and whether they had discovered his m one carbine. Michael asked about it not for himself, but because he was worried children may use it and hurt themselves or someone else. Makes no sense, but Michael wouldn't budge no matter how hard the negotiator tried to get him to come out of the school. Then just sit it out, Michael threw his AK forty seven out the window,

leaving him now with just the Baretta nine millimeter pistol. Buy six forty five pm, communications had broken down, and that's when he told the officer Hungerford must be a bit of a mess. None of this would have happened if my car would have started. It's just right. I don't know what to say about that. No, Michael, none of this would have happened if you weren't fucking nuts exactly. And then he said, it's funny, I've killed all those people, but I don't have the guts to blow my own

brains out. Well, why don't you put your head out the window. Yeah, we'll do it for you. I'll help you out. For several minutes, Michael stayed silent, pondering his next move. Officers prepared to move in or accept his surrender. At six fifty two pm, a solitary shot rang out from the classroom. Michael Robert Ryan was dead if did it. He finally mustered up the courage. After hearing the shot, officers knew the operation was over. In just six hours, Michael Ryan had killed sixteen people

and wounded fifteen others. Damn the small town of Hungerford had been plunged into chaos, all at the hands of one man. Richard Auger of the Technical Firearms Response un It was there when Michael took his own life. He told the media that at that point he felt sorry for Michael, who seemed quote pathetic and lost. The Hungerford massacre would remain the UK's largest spree killing until nineteen ninety six, when a lone gunman opened fire at Deblaine School in Scotland.

Like I mentioned earlier, the Hungerford massacre sparked the Hungerford Report, which explored how Michael had obtained these weapons and what could be done to prevent further tragedies. Following the report, the Firearms Act of nineteen eighty eight was passed, which banned the purchase and ownership of semi automatic rifles and restricted pump action

shotguns from having no more than three Cartridges. One victim's family remarked that while they're glad he's dead and not living in prison at the taxpayers' expenses, they also feel robbed of an explanation. Michael didn't even know. How do you explain anyway? He said it was car, wasn't origin. He was getting upset, right there is that he just snapped? And is there any logical explanation you could give to do this? I know, is there any like

the shootings that we know about that happened. No, there's no. Yeah, people, it's just rage, right. Criminal psychologist Professor Jackson concluded that Michael Ryan's rampage was not planned, but he hasn't been able to pinpoint the exact cause, and I don't think psychologists will ever be able to. Yeah, they didn't even examine them. Michael had no criminal history and he was

legally allowed to obtain the firearms he did. Since to Blaine in nineteen ninety six, there have been very few spree killings with a gun in the United Kingdom. And that's the end of my story. And I'm not even going to go into my own beliefs about these stupid, fucking mass shootings that we have all the time because I would just not go I'm not get on myself. Yeah, please don't. I don't want to hear it. I've already heard it. I had a cousin who was in the last Vegas shooting WOW

a few years ago. I mean, she obviously survived, but she was with her boyfriend like for the concert and I'm sure she's scarred to this day for it. Thank thank god, she came out alive. Well, before I get into the rest of the business, there's shout outs, shout outs, we'd done them on a long time, and we have mirum M. I think I'm saying that right. Her name is spelled m I R J

A m oh. I don't know. I think it's Miriam And I'm sorry if I missed pronounce L j Amanda P, Laura S. Shannon, S, Angela B. Haley, n Amelia M, Jennifer H. Kate Ella hector A. This person to leave their name, but this is part of their email as varg Well Okay, Jessica H. Yatt, D Ryan J. Tracy, C. Joyce, R. Jess G. Candice P. Jennifer P. Christina D. Shayley C. Bundy K. Bundy K Bundy K, Victoria P. Garrett S and Nice who is from Belgium. Yes, and I asked how to pronounce it, so it's nice nice and I

think I did that right. So um, thank you everyone, Thank you, thank you our newest Patreon members. And if you're wondering what the hell that was all about? What was maybe this is your first episode that you've ever listened to? I mean maybe maybe maybe we have an episode that we release a week for free that you're all listening to now. But we also have an episode that we release once a week for our Patreon and Apple subscribers for very low amount per month, very low. You can get all of

these episodes and there's just so many. Yeah, I mean we're on episode like one ninety two or something on our regular ones. So there's equal amount. Yeah, there's almost equal amount. You can go to Patreon dot com slash TNT like Dynamite t NT crime and we're not going to go into it because it's a copyright. I don't want to be sued by you. We would get a lot of attention of acdc's true was dn I'm jnna to us?

Yeah, please and to get ad free. Yes, and free at early release, and you can also subscribe if you listen on the Apple podcast app. They are the same episodes, so if you prefer to do it that way, you can. But you can't give you a shout out because they don't give us your name. Yeah, use Axapple exactly because Zapple and Apple's big on privacy. So if you do want to shout out, just email us at contact at Crimes and Consequences. Good job dot com. I

almost forgot our emails. Contact at Crimes and Consequences dot com dot com. If you want to go to our website, check it out Crimes and Consequences dot com. We're on Facebook and Instagram at Hardcore True Crime, and we have merged if you're interested in that. In our website, buy some stuff, get a T shirt, show your score. I have about fifteen of them. I don't even know. I have a whole drawer exactly existence I hate people. Oh oh, I had the earlier what the futa? I

have that one I'm dead inside? Yep, Oh, I have that one with the little skeleton. That one's cute. I don't kill each other, don't kill each other. A lot of the good one. Yeah, that is a good one. It's classic. Yeah and don't Yeah, don't do it. Don't kill each other anyway until our next episode. Don't kill each other exactly. Bye bye

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