Devastated Coronation Street fans felt their Christmas was "ruined" after watching tonight's mass shooting episode, which saw two die and three shot.
Derek Milligan went on a drunken rampage throughout Weatherfield, brandishing an antique rifle and shooting three people.
However Derek, who desperately wanted revenge on loan shark Gary Windass, met his own grisly end after falling from a helter skelter and onto the hard cobbles bellow.
His first victim was Robert Preston, who succumbed to his injuries before being able to see his newborn son.
The former Bistro owner had been on his way to visit his child for the first time when he was shot by Derek through the glass door of the Rovers.
He was rushed to hospital but died before being able to see his son.
Derek followed Gary out of the pub and towards the Christmas fair, where the Platts were celebrating David's birthday.
They all quickly hid from Derek as he tried to hunt out Gary, eventually managing to shoot the loan shark in the shoulder.
He then clambered to the top of the helter skelter, phoning his wife to tell her that he would be going away "for a while".
But Gary pounced on him, trying to wrestle the gun away from him. However the gun fired and shot through the box that Shona was hiding in.
This is the first major Christmas death that Coronation Street has aired in its 60-year history, and some viewers have hit out at the episode being "too dark" for the festive period.
Before the episode even aired this evening, soap boss Iain MacLeod defended the controversial decision to air a mass shooting at Christmas.
He said: "I'm aware that the presence of firearms on Coronation Street full stop is very controversial.
"It wasn't a decision we took lightly but it felt like there was an interesting side avenue to what Gary's been doing that hadn't been explored yet. It felt that doing something involving a firearm felt like a realistic and fruitful payoff, believe it or not, to the story we've been telling about loansharking, the pressures of poverty and the mental collapse that can cause for people.
"So it felt motivated and, as I say, it felt very exciting. We wanted to slightly subvert people's expectations of what we might get from a Corrie Christmas episode."
*Coronation Street returns tomorrow at 8pm on ITV
