HMS Astute shooting: Nuclear submarine guard kills officer in bizarre rifle rampage

One Royal Navy officer was shot dead and another critically injured after a rating guarding Britain’s flagship nuclear submarine “went crazy” and turned his gun on them.

Able seaman Ryan Donovan, who held at the scene on suspicion of murder is understood to have opened fire with an SA80 assault rifle at 12.12pm after a row broke out in the control room of HMS Astute, which was berthed in Southampton.

Sources said the rating, 22, had just collected the rifle from the submarine’s weapons store as he came on guard duty, and was due to take up his sentry position on the gangplank when the row started. He fired several rounds before he was overpowered.

The dead officer was named by sources as Lt-Cdr Ian Molyneux, the vessel’s weapons engineering officer. Lieutenant Commander Chris Hodge was said to be in a critical condition on Friday night.

It also emerged that several VIP guests, including the city’s mayor, were on board at the time, and a party of schoolchildren was standing on the dockside waiting to board the vessel when the shooting happened.

The Ministry of Defence insisted that the incident had not caused a wider threat to public safety. (read more)