Video: Teenage girl shoots at police in Queens Gardens, Hull

A TEENAGE girl who shot at a policeman twice in the middle of Hull city centre has been locked up in a secure mental health unit.

Kerri May Wood, 19, waved the handgun and pointed it at her head as she staggered around Queens Gardens, just outside the busy police station.

She then aimed the gun at PC Carl Bugg and pulled the trigger, firing two shots, as office workers, students from nearby Hull College and shoppers made their way home.

As her shots landed in the pond, PC Bugg ran in and tackled her to the ground while uniformed officers swarmed in from the bushes to help him.

Yesterday, after PC Bugg was awarded a commendation for bravery by a judge, Chief Inspector Ed Cook praised the officer's action to protect the public.

He said: "Not only was the woman in question threatening to take her life immediately but she was putting members of the public in mortal danger. The officer put himself in harm's way to protect others.

"He successfully disarmed the woman without causing her injury, and potentially saved lives."

Hull Crown Court heard Wood, of Cherry Garth in Beverley, armed herself with a P-25 Blowback semi-automatic air pistol in Queens Gardens.

Wood was first spotted by a PCSO sitting by a pond, with her feet in the water, cradling the gun. She was sipping from a can of strong cider and had a carrier bag of alcohol.

As the PCSO called for back-up, Wood jumped to her feet. In some distress, she placed the weapon to her temple and the back of her head.

Seven officers, running across from the police station, surrounded her to protect the families and students in the public gardens around 5.20pm on October 20 last year.

Prosecutor Jharna Jobes told the court Wood warned officers not to come near her as she was going to kill herself.

Painting a graphic picture of what happened next, Ms Jobes said: "PC Bugg approaches her and tells other officers to go away. She points the gun at him and shoots.

"He said he could hear something whistling past him and the shots land in the water."

Showing no fear for his own safety, PC Bugg ran towards her and bundled her to the ground.

The gun flew out of her hand, landing on the grass under a tree.

Wood was restrained and placed in handcuffs at the end of the stand-off, which lasted 20 minutes. Officers then searched her bag, discovering more ammunition and a hunting knife.

Her weapon was tested by Humberside's firearms expert, who classed it as a "potentially lethal weapon".

Wood pleaded guilty to possessing a hunting knife in Queens Gardens and possessing a firearm with intent to cause PC Bugg to believe unlawful violence would be used against him or another.

Recorder Simon Jackson QC sentenced Wood to a hospital order, to undergo treatment for her mental health issues. She cannot be released until doctors believe she is safe to return to society.

He also awarded PC Bugg a commendation for bravery.

He said: "PC Carl Bugg confronted the defendant when this defendant was plainly in possession of a firearm when he couldn't have known what type of firearm it was.

"He put this incident to an end and I commend him for his bravery."

Humberside Police's Chief Constable Tim Hollis also commended PC Bugg, saying he had shown "tremendous courage and bravery".

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