A far-right extremist who launched a terrifying crossbow rampage on a popular student pub run shot himself in the head with an air gun, an inquest heard today.
Owen Lawrence, 38, died from a ‘self-inflicted injury’ after attempting to carry out a Christchurch-inspired ‘massacre’ along the route of the Otley Run pub crawl in Leeds last month.
The jobless loner showed off a frightening arsenal of weapons alongside an online ‘manifesto’ before shooting two women in the street on April 26 as revellers – many in fancy dress – enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Today a coroner was told that Lawrence – known as Oz – shot himself in the head with an air gun after carrying out the attack, which is being investigated by counter-terror police.
He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by paramedics and died two days later, on April 28.
Dr Richard Gould pronounced him dead at 3.43pm and he was formally identified by his mother.
Pathologist Dr Christopher Johnson recorded his cause of death as a ‘self inflicted’ air gun injury to the head.
Lawrence – who changed his name by deed poll from Owen Lawrence-Eames about 25 years ago – was registered disabled, Wakefield Coroner’s Court heard.
Owen Lawrence, 38, was named by police after he died from a ‘self-inflicted injury’ following the terrifying incident in Headingley on April 26
In images posted online, Lawrence appeared wearing a top with a Crusader cross on it – an influence on far-right killer Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in a gun and bomb attack in Norway
Weapons found at the scene, a break barrel air rifle that fires lead pellets, and a crossbow
The deranged killer’s hate-filled manifesto posted on Facebook an hour before the attack
He lived in a flat in Headingley, just 200 metres off Otley Road.
In images posted online, Lawrence appears wearing a top with a Crusader cross on it – an influence on far-right killer Anders Breivik, who killed 77 people in a gun and bomb attack in Norway.
He also had a t-shirt with the words ‘natural selection’ which is a theory used to support far-right concepts of supposed white supremacy and male dominance.
Lawrence was influenced by Brenton Tarrant who killed 51 people in a gun attack on two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand in 2019, which he streamed on Facebook Live.
Tarrant also published a ‘manifesto’ in which he claimed there was a conspiracy to create a ‘white genocide’.
Lawrence listed ‘reactionary, with some ‘small l’ libertarian sympathies’ under his ‘political views’ in a Facebook post, before the attack.
‘I have also explored far-right ideas, by reading through Brenton Tarrent’s [sic] 74 page manifesto titled The Great Replacement,’ he added.
In a Facebook post, Lawrence declared his intention to launch the ‘Otley Run Massacre’ around an hour before starting his rampage.
Pictured wearing a Crusader themed shirt, Lawrence shot himself in the head with his air gun, an inquest heard today
He shared pictures of a range of weapons including a crossbow
Another photo of an air rifle
He said his targets were ‘students, night club goers, pub crawler’s [sic], Otley Run participants, society, humanity, human race.’
He also mentioned ‘neurotypicals’ – which is a term of abuse used by extremists who are proud to be ‘neurodivergent’, especially if they have autism spectrum disorder which can make extremists socially isolated and particularly obsessive.
He added as a target, ‘police, if I need to.’
His ‘attack type’ was listed as ‘spree killing, mass murder, terrorism, revenge,’ and ‘misogynyic rage’ [sic], along with ‘homicide/suicide.’
Lawrence stated the location for his attack was to be ‘Otley Road, Leeds England, Headingley, [sic] LS6’ and he gave his name as ‘Owen ‘Oz’ Lawrence’ adding: ‘ethnicity/nationality: white British; religious views: agnostic.’
The weapons he listed were a crossbow and a break barrel air gun, along with a Sig Sauer Rattler CO2 Gun and a Powerline Daiay 415 steel ‘BB’ ball bearing gun, and a ‘blank firer’ with modified ammunition.
He was going to wear combat gloves and take with him an ‘unbreakable baseball bat’ called the Brooklyn Basher and two homemade ‘shanks’ [knives].
Area coroner Oliver Longstaff, formally opening the inquest today, said: ‘His death has already received a good deal of public and media attention.’
He urged people to exercise restraint regarding speculation until a full inquest takes place following further investigation into his death.
Police officers guarding cordons near the Otley Run route in Headingley a day after the crossbow rampage
Mr Longstaff said the inquest was not intended to ‘fuel that interest in any way.’
In the ten minute hearing, Mr Longstaff said that because of the ‘unnatural and violent death’ the inquest would be adjourned and concluded at a later date.
Both victims, aged 19 and 31, have since been discharged from hospital following treatment for their injuries.
Following Lawrence’s death, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said a ‘thorough and extensive investigation’ into the attack was continuing.
‘Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this incident,’ Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said.
