Dive Club Instructor Targeted By The Cumbria Gunman June 8, 2010 by lukesheppard

The murderous rampage of Derrick Bird who killed 12 people in last weeks shootings had also targeted his dive club instructor whom he held a grudge against. On Wednesday morning in Wilton, near Whitehaven, taxi driver, Derrick Bird knocked on the front door of BSAC instructor Jason Carey’s house after already killing his own twin brother David, family solicitor Kevin Commons and co-workers.

Carey was in bed after working a night shift so didn’t get up to open the door. It was Mr Carey’s wife, Deborah who went to answer the door, but by the time she had got there, Bird was walking away. Just moments later, he shot James Jackson and his wife Jennifer only yards away from the the Carey’s house.

Derrick Bird was a member of Solway Divers and had argued with Carey after Derrick had taken a buddy below 50m on a dive. A friend of the gunman said “When they went diving once, in Wasdale, Derrick took someone diving over 50m which he wasn’t supposed to do at the time. Jason Carey went straight to the diving officer who was in charge and told him. It had niggled Derrick a lot.” Jason Carey’s neighbour said “I saw Derrick Bird knocking on his door. He was knocking loudly but nobody came and he didn’t wait long for an answer.”