But the body toppled over and the siege was finished. A 27-year-old unemployed local labourer, Michael Robert Ryan, armed with several weapons including an AK-47 rifle and a Beretta pistol, shot and killed sixteen people including his mother, and wounded fifteen others, then fatally shot himself. Seventeen people, some of them injured, took shelter in the shop as the gunman continued to let off several rounds of ammunition. "The first ambulance couldn't get to us because Michael Ryan was outside pointing his gun at them," she says. Ryan stopped at a nearby petrol station where he shot at the cashier, then drove to his home on South View, a terrace house on a little lane which leads to farmland. [32] He said that he would not exit the building until the police informed him of the welfare of his mother, and stated that "Hungerford must be a bit of a mess". 2. For instance, the town's mayor Peter Harries, who will be hosting the town's official memorial service on August 19, is the father of Carl Harries, a young soldier who was commended by the coroner for his bravery on that tragic afternoon. His wife and their two children escaped injury; Playle died at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford two days later. That has stopped now. Weight. Susan Godfrey. [8] The licence only permitted Ryan to use the weapons at approved ranges; his application stated that he would use them at a target shooting facility in Abingdon[8] and he was a member of a rifle club in Devizes. Three woman ran past the window screaming after Mr Ken Clements, aged 52, and his son, Robert, aged 27, were gunned down. The couple also told of their nephew's aborted wedding plans. 'B') at about 12.3Opm with the shooting of Mrs Susan GODFREY, aged 33, of Reading. "She knew she wouldn't be alone with her grief there,' says Trevor. It wasn't the same for weeks afterwards." For that reason, they did feel responsible. It left this market town of about 5,000 people in shock and raised questions about whether Britain's gun laws, already considered among the strictest in the world, were strict enough. Before her were morning papers with the headlines "Boy of five shot dead saving dad"and "Gunman executes boy of five in the street". It was market day in Hungerford, a balmy Wednesday, 19 August 1987. The 17th, Ryan himself, is not mentioned. A minute later Ryan's body was found sitting in a corner near a cupboard holding a gun. "Twenty-three years and it still gets brought up," he says heavily. The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988,[34] which was passed in the wake of the massacre, bans the ownership of semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and restricts the use of shotguns with a capacity of more than three cartridges (in magazine plus the breech). Dr Monckton-Smith added: "Everything in the school atmosphere was a failure for him. "For years, whenever I said where I was from, people would immediately start talking about Michael Ryan. Ryan bought two new guns - a Kalashnikov and a beretta handgun. Bizarrely, Ryan kept asking how his mother was despite riddling her body with bullets earlier on. The NPI number of this provider is 1679876379 and was assigned on December 2010. The massacre led to a backlash about gun laws, and saw the 1988 Firearms Act created, which restricted the use of shotguns and bans ownership of semi automatic weapons. Sulk, the penultimate track on Radiohead's album The Bends, was written as a response to the massacre. Ryan lived alone with his mother, who was a dinner lady at the local primary school; there was extensive press comment on this suggesting the relationship was 'unhealthy', that Ryan was 'spoiled', a Guardian headline describing Ryan as a 'mummy's boy'. Dr. Sue A. Hungerford is a Obstetrician-Gynecologist in Chicago, IL. He entered the kiosk and fired with a pistol on Mrs Margaret Dean, the cashier, who was saved by armoured glass. All appeared in a state of shock about what had befallen their community. He got into his car, couldn't start it, and so shot it up. Find 28 people named Susan Hungerford along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. "Around 4pm, a police marksman called out to us from a field opposite, telling us to run from the house," recalls Sylvia. "I always thought he was a strange man," says Lyn. Susan Godfrey is known for Wrecked (2016), Blue Heelers (1994) and Mallboy (2000). At 7.55pm, a police ambulance moved slowly into the school playing fields. Events frequently recall 19 August 1987 for the people of Hungerford. Then another neighbour, Mr Douglas Wainwright, aged 84, was shot dead and his wife, Kathleen, aged 63, was wounded. Workers and shoppers in the Hungerford High Street cowered behind counters and makeshift barricades as the slaughter continued. She married Gerald Lloyd Hungerford in Flint on August 9, 1963 and he preceded her in death on November 23, 2010. It remains, along with the Dunblane massacre, one of the worst lone-wolf peacetime atrocities in British history. Armed police surrounded the school grounds. "It seemed also that he was bullied. The majority claimed that Ryan possessed magazines about survival skills/firearms, Soldier of Fortune being frequently named. Only two phone lines were in operation at the local police station, which was undergoing renovation. (847) 498-0690. A neighbour said she "couldn't recall a single time when a friend came round to the house" to see the young Ryan. [17], After leaving Froxfield, Ryan returned to his home on South View, Hungerford, Berkshire. Ryan had killed fifteen people, and wounded ten others. Although the gun did not go off and Kakoub escaped unhurt, the mental trauma left her unable to work again. One of the police officers in attendance, PC Bernard Maggs, made another 999 call but by this point the telephone network had reached its capacity. He had placed down a groundsheet; a police report identified the possibility that Ryan had intended to rape Godfrey. On the day of the shootings, Trevor was enjoying a day off and cutting a friend's lawn in a nearby village. says Beryl. He claimed to various acquaintances that he had a private pilot's license, ran a gun shop and had taken a trip on the Orient Express, all of which were shown to be lies. The neat terraced cottages of South View, where Michael Ryan lived, look like ideal family homes. For the next fortnight, their phone rang every minute. "I ran out and into next door's kitchen where Lisa was slumped, bleeding profusely.". At 2.30pm, Ryan was seen strolling into John O'Gaunt school in Priory Road. Yesterday's rampage was the worst mass murder in modern British history. He shot and killed husband and wife Roland and Sheila Mason, who were in their back garden at their house in South View. While Lisa was taken to hospital, Sylvia joined her neighbours and huddled upstairs in a bedroom for four hours. [8][32], Ryan became engaged in conversation with a sergeant within the TFU and informed them of his arsenal and ammunition, claiming that he had a grenade as well as the Beretta. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Little would PC Wainwright know that Ryan would later use his guns on the officer's own parents, who had decided to visit him on a whim on the fateful day of the massacre. Sheryl M. McKinney, 66, of Green Bay, Va. passed away February 26, 2023. Ryan was apparently indulged and spoiled, getting the toys and later the records and clothes he wanted from his mother who also apparently gave him a sense of superiority by the love she lavished on him. Sadly, she died in his arms. Steffe corrects me. Her sister Marie, then 13, ducked for cover but Lisa froze and was shot four times. She was the daughter of the late Johnny and Betty McKenney. Retrieved October 28, 2005. [20] Heading to investigate, Ryan shot at the constables; one took shelter in a house and the other with Robert Clements drove across the common to safety. In the Berkshire market town of Hungerford, Sue Godfrey packed a picnic and her two children into her car and headed for nearby Savernake Forest. 2. [28] Using the Beretta, he shot at a passing car and fatally injured the driver, 22-year-old Sandra Hill. The first block of houses was totally destroyed after Ryan shot his mother, Dorothy, and their dog, then set the house on fire. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Hungerford High Street as it is now, 23 years after Michael Ryan rampaged through the town. "He was his life, you see. Susan W Hungerford Birth unknown Death 23 Sep 1873 Burial. "The realisation that this could happen in fun-loving England, where we don't have guns and the police aren't armed it changed policing and it changed society for ever. " Susan was a graduate of Flint Central High School and Hurley School of Nursing. It later transpired that Ryan had never seen the film (Buckingham, 2001: 76) but the allegations provided sensationalist headlines and imagery (see Webster, 1989). Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Hungerford: the day one man took everything, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Up to 20% off & extra perks with Booking.com Genius Membership, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 10% off selected orders over 100 - eBay voucher code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK March 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this March, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. His mother even supported his stories to friends and family, apparently inviting people to the fake wedding. Betsy. She told me, `I'll let you know when he's made up his mind`. "Most people don't want to talk about it or remember it," says Ron Tarry, 84, sitting in his bungalow a block from where Ryan roamed. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The Hungerford Report had demonstrated that Ryan's collection of weapons was legally licensed. It marked the start of a seven-hour massacre in which Ryan - 27 at the time - killed 16 people, including his neighbours, a police officer and his own mother, and injured 15 others. [28], At 13:30, Ryan headed south-west towards Priory Road, shooting at houses as he passed them. As well as his target practice at legitimate venues, Ryan used a large road sign at the junction of the M4 and the A338. Sandra Hill, was shot while driving; Jack and Myrtle Gibbs, were shot in their home in Priory Road; and Ian Playle was shot while driving into Hungerford on a shopping trip with his wife and two children. Last week Ryan used his shooting skill to deadly effect, turning his neighbors into targets in the worst massacre in modern British history. The massacre led to the Firearms (Amendment) Act, 1988, which banned the ownership of semi-automatic centre-fire rifles and restricted the use of other firearms with a capacity of more than two rounds. How could anyone who was here ever forget what happened on that terrible day?". If you are interested in joining our team, contact us at Find 231 people named Susan Godfrey along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. Instead, on 19 August, the names of the dead are read out in church and the flag on the town hall flies at half-mast. At once, his monstrous acts entered the annals of criminal history and ensured that the name Hungerford now sits alongside Lockerbie and Dunblane in the nation's consciousness, inextricably identified with horror. You mustn't bottle things up, and must not be afraid to cry.". A landlord in England, with the title of baronet, is of not less importance among his tenants, than a landlord in Sicily with the title of prince among his vassals ; and a squire in his ancient hall in Lancashire, might vie with any baron in his moated castle in Languedoc ; but should they travel, the advantage would always be in favor of the . Susan Godfrey, 35, had come to the area with her two children; Hannah (aged four years) and James (aged two years) from Reading, Berkshire for a family picnic. The best result we found for your search is Susan Effie Godfrey age 50s in Myrtle Beach, SC. Her children later told her they'd come face-to-face with Ryan while playing in front of the house. [1], Michael Robert Ryan was born on 18 May 1960 at Savernake Hospital in Marlborough, Wiltshire,[2] the only child of Alfred and Dorothy Ryan. [15] He left the petrol station and the cashier telephoned 999; this call had been preceded by another emergency call, possibly by a member of the public who believed they saw an armed robbery at the petrol station. British officials immediately said they would review the country's gun-licensing laws. A Collection of Interesting, Important, and Controversial Perspectives Largely Excluded from the American Mainstream Media [9] He later applied to have the certificate amended to cover a third pistol, as he intended to sell one of the two he had acquired since the granting of the certificate (a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver) and to buy two more. He was her next-door neighbour, and during the shootings he started a fire which gutted both their houses. [24], Near the War Memorial Recreation Grounds, Ryan shot 26-year-old Francis Butler as he walked his dog. He . Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. She was a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church. At around 12:45 he was seen at his home in South View, Hungerford. From an early age he developed a keen interest in guns. "What upset me was that it was as if no one had learnt anything from Hungerford," says Tony Hill, who now runs the Gun Control Network with his wife, Judith. Sheryl enjoyed being a mom and she dearly loved all . Ryan then drove in his car, a Vauxhall Astra, from the forest along the A4 towards Hungerford and stopped at a petrol station three miles (5 km) away from the town. She was a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church. Michael Ryan is, of course, the unemployed labourer who, in August 1987, left his home in Hungerford and set out for Savernake Forest, a nearby beauty spot. At first, officials advised a buttoned-up approach. This massive 8.5 x 11 perfect bound book contains over 150 pages of rare interviews, letters, documents, transcripts, art and articles about serial killer, Richard Ramirez (aka the Nightstalker). A woman, aged 20, was shot at pointblank range and killed as she drove her car. Sylvia, who still lives in Hungerford with her retired husband John, says: "I don't believe the massacre should ever be forgotten or not spoken about, even in decades to come.". This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Jan 2005 - Jun 20127 years 6 months. His mum Shirley Harries, 61, says: "Carl came face-toface with Michael Ryan. Because we work on both sides of the docket, we know what our opposition is thinking. [25] On South View, Ryan's mother Dorothy returned in her car to see him armed; she shouted for him to stop before he shot her four times with his Beretta, twice at point-blank range. [3][6] In April 1987, Ryan began employment as a labourer working on footpaths and fences near the River Thames, approximately 20 miles (32km) from Hungerford. "Thankfully, someone had put a blanket over his head.". He set the place where he had grown up on fire, dousing the building with petrol. A lone gunman brings death to a sleepy English town. "They assume it's routine, like it is in the US, when in fact we've only had three in 25 years, and the whole country gasps for days after something like this. And yet the tragedy also brought the town hall "to life for the first time", says Williams. "He told me that he went shooting rabbits one night and he came across a fellow much bigger than himself and he got a little bit stroppy with him so Michael took a gun out of his pocket and held it at him. Something went wrong, please try again later. Susan L Godfrey, 60. Name. 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