London, England (CNN) -- At least 12 people have been killed and 25 injured after a gunman -- believed to be a local taxi driver -- went on a shooting spree through three small towns in the English county of Cumbria on Wednesday.
After a large scale search, Cumbria police found the body of the suspected gunman, 52-year-old Derrick Bird, in a wooded area of Boot, a village in the Lake District, a popular tourist area.
Authorities seized a gun from the scene where the body was found. Cumbria Police Deputy Constable Stuart Hyde said investigators believe Bird committed suicide.
"I've never known anything like this, where somebody would want to walk out and kill so many people in such a beautiful place in such a short space of time," Hyde said.
Police were working 30 separate crime scenes and are still attempting to determine the motive, Hyde said. Investigators are looking at Bird's history and his access to firearms, he said.
Police named Bird as a suspect following reports of the first shooting mid-morning on Wednesday in the Irish Sea port town of Whitehaven.
Source:
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