Plymouth shooting: police confirm ‘very young girl’ among five killed by gunman – latest updates

The bishop of Plymouth has said:

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been injured or bereaved by this terrible shooting in Plymouth. It is horrific to think of it happening in our own city.

St Thomas church in Keyham and St Mark’s church in Ford are open for anyone who would like somewhere to pray and reflect and someone to talk to. We stand with the community of Keyham.

We are working alongside other local organisations and will continue to offer whatever pastoral and practical support we can.

We think of Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem and the way in which God himself feels our pain and takes it on himself. We weep with those who weep.

Police have said they are not yet able to confirm a motive for the shootings and are keeping an open mind. The anti-fascist campaign group Hope Not Hate has said that, while the shooter was clear about his support for politicians including Donald Trump and Nigel Farage, it sees no political motive.

They said the shooter was “plugged in” to the incel subculture, though he claimed not to fully identify with it. A spokesperson said:

While it is too soon to say what motivated this man to commit murder, we do know that the incel ideology can be dangerous and radicalising. It is built on misogyny and a twisted, desperate world view.

We do not know what motivated this horrendous incident. However, those who consume incel content have engaged in violent attacks. Whatever happened in Plymouth, the hatred of women – and the communities of men who engage in a celebration of that hatred online – must be taken seriously, in schools, by social media firms and by government.

Police have described the incident as “domestically related” and say it then “spilled out on to the street”.

They say there are 13 crime scenes and they may search other addresses, though they have not yet identified any of interest.

They say they will reveal more about the shooter and his motive once they have examined his computers and social media output. Davison appeared online discussing the extremist, misogynistic “incel” movement shortly beforehand.

For clarity, Sawyer said five were killed and two were wounded.

Officers have confirmed that a woman was shot dead at an address they are declining to reveal. Chief constable Shaun Sawyer says they are looking into reports she was related to the shooter and confirms they were at least known to each other.

The shooter then went out on to Biddick Drive and shot dead a “very young girl” and her male relative.

Within a “matter of minutes” he went on to shoot a couple – who are not thought to be in a life-threatening condition – before killing another man and woman. Sawyer said the murder weapon has been described as a “pump-action shotgun”, though they are not yet ready to describe it as such.

He said officers responded within about six minutes but it took several hours to determine that the shooter acted alone and that it was not an ongoing terror attack. He added that the shooter killed himself before firearms officers could engage him.

The shooter was a firearms licence holder, Sawyer said. But he said officers were not yet ready to confirm whether or not the weapon used was the one he was licensed to own.

Sawyer said police do not consider it a terror attack and are not looking at any far-right links at the moment, though they are keeping an open mind and are in liaison with Scotland Yard and counter-terrorism command. He says the shooter knew people in the area, though they can’t say whether or not he knew and targeted the other people he shot.

Officers have asked people who witnessed the incident and are feeling distressed to call 0808 1689 111

Sawyer named the shooter as Jake Davison, aged 22.

There is a deep sense of shock and sadness following the shootings, the bishop of Plymouth, the Rt Rev Mark O’Toole, has said.

I offer my support and prayers for all those who were killed, and for their loved ones at this tragic time. Let us pray in our churches this weekend for all those affected and for the people of Plymouth.

The leader of Plymouth city council has said nothing in his “living memory” compares with the shooting on Thursday night. Nick Kelly told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he will wait for police to give further details. But he added:

What we do know though is, tragically, six people have lost their lives. Although we are a major city, we just don’t have crime, and certainly nothing like this in my living memory has ever happened in our city.

He said that the city is “waking up to the reality that we have got six people who have tragically lost their lives last night”.

Kelly also said the council would help to support people who may have witnessed the shooting and the aftermath.

Anybody witnessing that, we want to give the relevant support now and in the near future because, as I say, this just does not happen, thankfully, in our country but certainly not in Plymouth, so we are deeply shocked, upset, and we are in a state of mourning in Plymouth.

Concern is also being expressed for the welfare of the police officers who responded to the call last night. Andy Berry, the chairman of Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, has said:

The thoughts of all colleagues in Devon and Cornwall police are with the loved ones of all those killed and affected by this terrible incident in Plymouth.

As they do every day, our colleagues headed swiftly towards the unknown when the call came in with the intention of keeping people safe and using their life-saving skills to try and prevent any further tragedy.

Police officers are not immune to the trauma they sadly witness. As a federation, we will be available for officers in need of welfare support following the aftermath of this terrible incident and would encourage any colleagues to please get in touch should they need it.

Here’s the official line from the police:

Following attendance at the scene, two females and two males were deceased at the scene.

A further male, believed to be the offender, was also deceased at the scene. All are believed to have died from gunshot wounds. Another female treated at the scene for gunshot wounds died a short time later in hospital.

The spokesperson said the area had been cordoned off and added that police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. Members of the public with mobile phone footage were urged not to post it on social media platforms and “respect those families who have lost loved ones”, he said.

This is a useful piece from PA Media on what we know so far about the shootings.

• Devon and Cornwall police said they received reports of a “serious firearms incident” in Biddick Drive, Keyham, at about 6.10pm.
• The South Western ambulance service said hazardous area response teams, several ambulances, air ambulances, doctors and senior paramedics were sent to the scene.
• Two females and two males were found dead at the scene and a third woman, who was treated at the scene with gunshot wounds, later died in hospital.
• One of those killed was a “small child” aged under 10, according to the local Labour MP Luke Pollard.
• Pollard said several people were receiving treatment in hospital, although they did not confirm the number.
• Detectives said the incident was not terror-related and that they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
• The area remained cordoned off on Friday, with officers in white forensic suits working at the scene and a coroner’s ambulance was filmed leaving.

• The suspected gunman was also found dead.

Five people have been killed in a shooting in Plymouth. Two females and two males died at the scene in the Keyham area of the city, while another female was treated for gunshot wounds and later died in hospital. One of the victims was a child aged younger than 10, according to an MP.

Nick Kelly, a local councillor, said he was “shocked and saddened” and that the city was in mourning.

Another male, believed to have been the offender, was also found dead, having apparently turned the gun on himself, Devon and Cornwall police have said. He was named by multiple sources on social media as Jake Davison.

The force said next of kin had been informed and it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, which it confirmed was not terror-related.

Social media profiles suggest the shooter worked at Babcock International, which has a significant presence near the city at the dockyards in Devonport. Social media posts from about 2018 also suggest he was a fan of the former US president Donald Trump and a supporter of the UK Libertarian party. He also recently shared his struggles in keeping fit and his difficulties using weights to stay in shape.