Leeds crossbow attacker dies in hospital 'of self-inflicted wound' as police release his name

A crossbow attacker who left two women in critical condition has died of a 'self-inflicted injury' after being rushed to hospital, with police now naming him as 38-year-old Owen Lawrence.

Lawrence was under arrest in hospital as the "key suspect" after the . Police rushed to Otley Road, the site of the popular 'Otley Run' pub crawl, in Headingley, , at 2.47pm on Saturday after reports of an ongoing serious incident which involved a man who had been seen in the area with . When they got to the scene, they found three people with injuries, two of which were women aged 19 and 31 who were rushed to hospital in a . The third was the 38-year-old suspected attacker, who has now been named as Owen Lawrence. Today, confirmed that the man died from his self-inflicted injury.

One victim was discharged from hospital over the weekend while the second was said to be in a stable condition on Sunday after undergoing surgery for life-threatening injuries. In a statement, West Yorkshire Police said: "We can confirm that the 38-year-old man who was arrested and taken to hospital on Saturday with a self-inflicted injury, has died. This man was the key suspect and we can name him as Owen Lawrence from Headingley, Leeds.

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"We believe he was acting on his own and are not currently seeking anyone else in connection with this matter. Counter Terrorism Policing North East will continue to conduct a thorough and extensive investigation to establish the facts and circumstances around the incident. A file will be compiled and passed to the coroner."

Counter terrorism police took over the investigation, confirming that a crossbow and a firearm were removed from the scene. Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerly, said: "Officers will continue to conduct enquiries and we ask that if anyone has information that may assist, to pass this to police.

"We understand there are concerns around the incident, and questions about how and why this happened. Our teams are committed to carrying out an in-depth investigation to provide answers to those affected. We continue to work closely with West Yorkshire Police to support the local community and thank residents for their support and understanding over the weekend. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this incident."

The terrifying incident took place on Otley Road, home to the Otley Run - a pub crawl, often done by students, where participants wear fancy dress and attempt the 17-19 venue pub crawl. On Saturday, those taking part in the run could be seen in fancy dress outside venues along Otley Road, close to the scene of the incident.

Locals were left terrified, with restaurant worker Bethany Connelly describing how local businesses locked doors to keep people safe as it unfolded. Speaking to , she said: "It was really scary, because obviously, you don't get this happening in Leeds. It's not normal. You hear about this stuff in America, but not on your doorstep.

"It was really scary. We had to tell everyone at the restaurant what was happening, and we had to say 'can you please stay indoors? We are going to lock the doors just in case'. We have got a back kitchen, and all of our chefs were told to come in and we stopped service for a bit. It was really quite scary."

Leeds District Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Dodds, said: "We fully appreciate the understandable shock and concern that this incident has caused in the Headingley community, and we are continuing to work closely alongside our partner agencies to support and reassure those living, working or studying in, or visiting the area. We have put a comprehensive visibility and engagement plan in place in the area to provide increased police and partnership presence that will remain over the coming days, both on the streets and around key events in the community.

"We are absolutely commited to making sure that people feel safe to go about their daily lives in the area following this incident. As eve, we would advise people to report any suspicious or unusual behaviour to us immediately through 101 or 999 in an emergency, or to officers on the ground, or venue or event staff."