David Francis Bieber was born on February 3, 1966, in Fort Myers, Florida. He was the son of Frank and Sandi Bieber. 

On 9 February 1995, Markus Mueller was shot and killed in Fort Myers, Florida. David Bieber was initially arrested in connection with this murder, suspected of hiring a hitman. However, he was later released due to insufficient evidence. In November 1995, Bieber's former girlfriend, Michelle Marsh, was attacked by the same gunman, but all shots missed her.

Fleeing the state, Bieber adopted the identity of Nathan Wayne Coleman and escaped to the United Kingdom in 1996 using a false passport. He married Denise Horsley, and his visa was extended. In 1998, he moved to Yorkshire and worked as a nightclub doorman while amassing illegal firearms.

On 26 December 2003, unarmed police officers Ian Broadhurst and Neil Roper found Bieber's stolen car in Leeds. After identifying the false plates, they asked Bieber to accompany them to the police car. Feeling uneasy, they called for backup. Roper attempted to handcuff Bieber, who then drew a 9 mm handgun and fired four shots at the officers. Roper was injured but managed to escape. Broadhurst was shot in the back and fell to the ground. Bieber then approached Broadhurst and shot him in the head at point-blank range, marking the first fatal shooting of an English police officer in over eight years.

After the shooting, Bieber fled and stole a car at gunpoint. A nationwide search for him was launched by West Yorkshire Police. On 31 December 2003, Bieber was arrested at the Royal Hotel in Gateshead, where police found a loaded pistol and 300 rounds of ammunition under his bed. He was charged with murder and attempted murder.

His trial commenced at Newcastle Crown Court and concluded on 2 December 2004. Despite Bieber denying all charges, including possession of a firearm, he was convicted of one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He received three life sentences, and the judge recommended he should never be released from prison.

Bieber's appeals led to a 2008 reduction of the whole life sentence to a minimum term of 37 years. In 2017, he attacked a prison officer with a homemade weapon, resulting in an additional life sentence. Following this, his minimum term was increased to 43 years, meaning he will remain in prison until at least 2047.