Derrick Bird was born on November 27, 1957, to Mary and Joseph Bird. He had a twin brother named David and an older brother named Brian, who was six years older than him. The family lived in Cumbria, England. Derrick grew up in a small, quiet community, and he was known as a shy and popular man.

As an adult, Derrick worked as a self-employed taxi driver in Whitehaven, a nearby town. He had two sons from a previous relationship with a woman he had separated from in the mid-1990s. In May 2010, Derrick became a grandfather for the first time.

Throughout his life, Derrick was described as a quiet person. However, in 2007, he experienced a violent incident when four men attacked him after refusing to pay for a taxi ride. This incident left a lasting impact on him, and friends noted that he changed after the attack. Derrick reportedly sought help for his mental health following this event.

He had a firearm certificate and had been licensed to own guns since 1974. He had renewed his shotgun certificate several times, with the last renewal in 2005. He also obtained a firearms certificate for a rifle in 2007. At the time of his death, Derrick was under investigation by HM Revenue and Customs for tax issues. He lived alone in Rowrah, Cumbria.

In the early hours of June 2, 2010, Derrick Bird left his home and drove to his twin brother David's house, where he shot him eleven times with a .22 caliber rifle, killing him. Bird then went to his family's solicitor, Kevin Commons, in Frizington. He fired twice at Commons with a sawn-off shotgun, hitting Commons in the shoulder and then killed him with two shots to the head.

Bird continued to a taxi rank in Whitehaven, where he called over taxi driver Darren Rewcastle, whom he shot twice at close range, resulting in Rewcastle's death. He also wounded another taxi driver, Donald Reid, before shooting Paul Wilson in the face. The police began to receive reports of these incidents in the area.

Following the initial attacks, Bird drove through several towns, randomly shooting at victims. He attempted to shoot a woman named Jacqueline Williamson but she escaped unharmed. He then shot Susan Hughes in the chest and abdomen before getting into a struggle with her that ended in her death from a shot to the back of the head. Kenneth Fishburn was shot and killed shortly after.

Bird continued his rampage, killing Jennifer Jackson and her husband James Jackson in Wilton. He also claimed the lives of Isaac Dixon and Garry Purdham. While driving slowly, he shot James Clark, and also severely injured Harry Berger.

As Bird progressed, he shot Michael Pike while he was cycling. His final victim was Jane Robinson, whom he shot point-blank. Following these shootings, witnesses noticed Bird driving erratically.

Eventually, police located Bird as he drove past their vehicle. He fled into the Eskdale valley, where he shot two more people. After crashing his taxi, Bird abandoned it and walked into the woods. He was found dead soon after, having taken his own life with a rifle.

In total, Bird killed twelve people and injured eleven others during his attack, which is remembered as one of the worst mass shootings in the UK. The event sparked significant discussions about gun control laws in the country.