Plymouth left in state of shock after mass shooting, council chief says

Nick Kelly, leader of Plymouth City Council, said people “wanted a hug and assurances things will get better” after gunman Jake Davison killed five people before turning the weapon on himself.

It came after hundreds of people attended a candle-lit vigil close to where the incident took place on Friday night in an outpouring of grief for the victims.

Davison, 22, shot dead his mother on Thursday in the Keyham area of the city before going on to kill four more people, including a three-year-old girl, and injure two others.

Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched into Davison’s possession of a shotgun and a firearms licence, which were returned to him after being removed at the end of last year.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Saturday, councillor Kelly said many people had not come forward for support following the traumatic event because they did not want to leave their homes.

He added: “At the moment people are a little bit reluctant to come outside their doors, they are still in a state of shock.

“Certainly the centres had a lot of community help workers but very few residents have actually come up and taken advantage of that.

“The ones that I did speak to really just want to recount what had happened, get things off their chest, and I guess just want a hug and reassurance things will get better.”

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard tweeted images of the vigil and the victims’ names, writing: “Tonight our community came together to remember the victims of the shooting in #keyham.

Floral tributes have been left outside a Lidl supermarket close to where the shootings happened alongside green heart-shaped balloons tied to a nearby railing bearing the names of the five victims.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on Friday evening it had launched an investigation following a mandatory referral from Devon and Cornwall Police which contains preliminary information that Davison’s firearm and licence were returned to him in early July this year.

The certificate and shotgun had been removed by police in December 2020 following an allegation of assault in September 2020, the watchdog said.

According to reports, Davison’s firearms licence was returned after he attended an anger management course.

IOPC regional director David Ford said the referral related to Thursday’s events as well as “police contact with Jake Davison prior to the incident, including the force’s role and actions regarding firearms licensing”.

It will also look at whether the force had information concerning Davison’s mental health and if this was “appropriately considered”.

No investigation will take place into the force’s response to the shootings.

Councillor Kelly added the investigation could reveal wider issues around the scrutiny given to people who are granted firearms licences.

He said: “My own view with regards to guns is I think why do you need a gun in the first place?

“If there’s a very legitimate reason, well I would not want to take guns away from everybody, but I think gun crime in Plymouth is unheard of – perhaps nationally there’s more of an issue.

“We just need to review it, look at the facts in this specific case and hopefully if tighter legislation is required that will be forthcoming.”

Davison shot his 51-year-old mother Maxine Davison, also known as Maxine Chapman, at a house in Biddick Drive before he went into the street and shot dead Sophie Martyn, aged three, and her father Lee Martyn, aged 43, in an attack witnessed by horrified onlookers.

He killed Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park before shooting Kate Shepherd, 66, on Henderson Place. She later died at Derriford Hospital.

Davison also shot two local residents – a man aged 33 and a 53-year-old woman – who are known to each other, in Biddick Drive, who suffered significant injuries but which are not believed to be life-threatening.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the issue of how Davison came to legally own a gun to be “properly investigated” and described the shooting as an “absolutely appalling” incident.

A large police presence remains in place at the cordons in Keyham, with streets in the area still closed.

Flags in Plymouth are being flown at half-mast following the atrocity while Smeaton’s Tower was lit up as a mark of respect to the victims on Friday night.

A minute’s silence will be held on Monday at 11am and books of condolence are available for the public to sign at several locations.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they received multiple calls about the incident at 6.11pm, with armed and unarmed officers arriving at the scene within six minutes and Davison found dead by 6.23pm.

It is believed the mass shooting, which police are yet to establish a motive for, began with a “domestic-related incident” between Davison and his mother.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said detectives are also examining Davison’s social media output and phone use, police confirmed.

Social media posts and interactions offered insight into the mind of a man who was interested in guns and America, while his social media use suggests an obsession with the “incel” culture, meaning “involuntary celibate” , a culture which has amassed a following online among some men who feel they are being oppressed by women due to a perceived lack of sexual interest.