The Horden shooting was a mass shooting in Horden, England, on 1 January 2012, also called the New Year's Day shooting. 42-year-old Michael Atherton shot his partner Susan McGoldrick, her sister Alison Turnbull and her daughter Tanya Turnbull with a shotgun, before killing himself.[1] They were all killed in Atherton's home, where three others escaped from an upstairs window, one of whom had suffered minor injuries from the spray of the gun.[2]

Horden shooting
LocationHorden, County Durham, England, UK
Date1 January 2012
Attack type
mass shooting, murder-suicide
Weaponshotgun
Deaths4 (including the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorMichael Atherton

Background

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Michael Atherton, a taxi driver, had a licence which allowed him to legally own firearms, six in total - three of which were shotguns. Despite having his guns confiscated in 2008 by police, they were later returned.[3]

He was arrested for affray at a local club, and months later armed police were called to his home after he threatened to "blow his head off" to his family.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Gun victims' family 'devastated'". BBC News. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Police name gunman and three victims in Durham shooting". BBC News. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Horden shootings: IPCC highlights Durham Police failings". BBC News. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Horden shooting family in gun control law petition". BBC News. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2022.