After a week of chasing and a six-hour gripping stand-off on Friday night, gunman Raoul Moat shot himself, bringing a drama that gripped the nation to a conclusion.
Moat, 37 has been involved in a tense stand-off with the police in Rothbury, Northumberland for a week. He was released from prison in Durham, after an 18-week sentence for assault last week. He insisted on his Facebook page that ‘bad things were going to happen.’ In the resulting days, he shot his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner, Chris Brown. PC David Rathband was shot by Moat 24 hours later in Newcastle, whilst sitting in his patrol car. There is speculation going around that Moat was incensed with the police, believing that Rathband had been having an affair with Stobbart.
After a week of unknown whereabouts, yet a lot of clues to where Moat was hiding out, it all came to a head on Friday night. The former nightclub bouncer was cornered by police, whilst in his supposed hideout area, not far away from the River Coquet. Six hours of tense, stand-off negotiations followed, with police from around the area called in, both as negotiators and ready to fire, should Moat, armed with a gun try and shoot his way out of trouble. In the early hours of Saturday morning, Raoul Moat finally turned the gun on himself, though it has now been discovered that police did fire two stun shots at him. Examinations have shown that he died from gunshot wounds, which were similar to the bullets he had used on his three victims previously. After being rushed to hospital, he was pronounced dead at 2.20am on Saturday morning, at Newcastle General Hospital. Flowers and tributes have been left outside his Newcastle home.
As the community of Rothbury tries to return to normality, after a week of mayhem, here is a brief lookback at some of the week’s key moments.
THE RAOUL MOAT CHASE
Thursday 1st July: Raoul Moat is released from Durham prison, after serving an 18-week sentence.
Saturday 3rd July: Chris Brown is shot dead and Moat’s former girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart is shot twice. Police launch a manhunt for Moat, believing that the shootings are connected.
Sunday 4th July: PC David Rathband is shot on a roundabout in Newcastle, whilst sitting in the driver’s seat of a patrol car. Once again, the shooting is connected to the previous incidents. Police appeal again for Moat to give himself up again, and the public are warned not to approach this man.
Monday 5th July: Extra firearm officers from Cumbria and Yorkshire are brought in to help with the search for Moat, a revelation on Moat’s Facebook status suggests the trouble “just got out of jail, I’ve lost everything…Watch and see what happens.”
Tuesday 6th July: A black Lexus car, believed to be in possession of Moat is found in Rothbury. Northumbria police warn the public to stay indoors, armed police officers and dogs are now searching almost everywhere for Moat, and an exclusion zone within Rothbury has been set-up.
Wednesday 7th July: The search intensifies. Stobbart is no longer in a critical condition and has made a direct appeal for Moat to give himself up. Police offer a £10,000 reward for information, which could lead to his capture. They also find a detailed letter in a tent, that Moat had written to Stobbart, which suggests he has been sleeping rough.
Thursday 8th July: A CCTV image of Moat in a B&Q shop in Newcastle is released to the public. This was taken one day before the shootings. Threats have been made towards the wider public; two men are arrested, accused of being “part and parcel” of Moat’s attempt to kill PC David Rathband.
Friday 9th July: Three mobile phones used by Moat are recovered by the police and a RAF Tornado has joined the hunt, equipped with satellite imaging. At 7.27pm, the public are encouraged to stay indoors, as a major operation takes place. Moat is found at 8pm and negotiations begin for him to give himself up.
Saturday 10th July: After a six-hour stand-off, Moat shoots himself at 1.15am and is rushed to hospital, where he is pronounced dead an hour later. It is revealed that police involved in the stand-off with Moat fire two taser stun guns at him
