2016 Spalding shooting

At around 09:00 BST on 19 July 2016, a single gunman, 57-year-old builders merchant Lance Hart, opened fire close to the entrance to the swimming pool at the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding town centre, using a single-barreled shotgun.[5]

The perpetrator deliberately targeted the two present members of his family; his 50-year-old wife Claire Hart, who was shot in the chest and abdomen, and their daughter, 19-year-old Charlotte Hart, who was shot in her upper abdomen. Both victims suffered fatally wounding gunshot injuries before the shooter turned the firearm upon himself, killing himself instantly with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, at the scene of the attack.[6]

Local residents said that they heard "three bangs" in the area at around the time of the attack.[4]

The East Midlands Ambulance Service responded to the shooting and treated three people with gunshot wounds, but were unable to resuscitate them. The local air ambulance attended the incident. Due to initial fears of potential further attackers, paramedics were told to approach the scene with caution, while police stepped up patrols across Spalding.

Following the shooting, Lincolnshire Police raided a house in Hatt Close in the village of Moulton, five miles from the site of the attack in Spalding town centre.[4] Police also confirmed that the incident was not terrorism-related and no shots were fired at, or by, police officers. They also confirmed that they were not looking for any further suspects in connection with the shooting, before asking for any potential witnesses to come forward.[4] At least six police cars attended the incident, with some eyewitnesses stating that they saw "dozens" of police vehicles following the shooting.[4] The attack was later confirmed to be unrelated to an ongoing gang conflict amongst Eastern European immigrants in Lincolnshire, which has been the cause of previous firearms incidents in the area.[7]

The Castle Sports Complex was closed as a result of the shooting. Parts of Spalding town centre were also cordoned off, while Pinchbeck Road through the town was closed.[4] Local businesses were warned by police to keep their doors locked.[4] Local schools were initially put under lockdown due to fears of potential further attacks. The lockdown was lifted by 12:00 on the day of the shooting.[4] Counselling support was offered to staff at the Castle Sports Complex following the shooting.[8]

The inquest had found that the shooting took place due to a prolonged domestic situation leading to marital breakdown, and the subsequent shooting. [10]

The perpetrator, Lance Hart, was described as both a "very difficult man" with a "short fuse" and as a "very nice guy" who was "always caring" by some of the people who knew him.[11][12] Hart had previously lived in Wisbech, but moved after he purportedly "fell out with everyone", and his sons described their father, Lance Hart, as a "tyrant", who inflicted constant psychological abuse on the family.[13][14]

The coroner was told Mrs Hart, had left her home in Moulton on 14 July, which the perpetrator was not aware of at the time. She reportedly remarked to an onlooking neighbour that, "[...] He'll have a surprise when he gets home tonight. I've put up with enough for the past 15, 16 years." Det Inspector Helen Evans said Mrs Hart had told a colleague that "she had become worn out by Lance's behaviour", and described him as being a "controlling and selfish man,". Mrs Hart was described as "beaming and really happy" in the few days that had elapsed since leaving her husband.[15]

On the day of the shooting, the couple arranged to meet to exchange documents and photographs, when the assailant had planned the coinciding shooting to take place at matter of convenience to access his targeted victims.[16]

It emerged during the investigation that a single memory stick had been found in Mr Hart's parked vehicle, carrying a document of what he intend to do, in which he had written: "Revenge is a dish served cold."[17] Hart had also previously threatened a neighbour in Spalding with the firearm in question following a minor dispute over a planning application.[18] As well as this, police confirmed that the suspected gunman did not have a valid firearms licence for the used shotgun, and had obtained the firearm through illegal means.[19]