Plymouth Shooting: What We Know – And Don't Know – So Far

Gunman Jake Davison and five other individuals died in the Keyham area on Thursday evening.
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Six people, including a young child, have died after a gunman opened fire in Plymouth on Thursday evening. The incident is the worst shooting in the UK for more than a decade.

Here’s what we know so far.

What we know

  • Two women and three men died at the scene, while one women died later in hospital.

  • One of the male victims was the shooter, 22-year-old Jake Davison.

  • A child under the age of 10 was also killed in Biddick Drive, according to Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard – police have confirmed a “very young girl” was killed.

  • Two others were injured and are in hospital, but do not have life-threatening injuries.

  • Police have confirmed the shooting is not terror-related and believe it is a “domestic-related incident that spilled out onto the street”, but they are keeping an “open mind”.

  • Officers have appealed to the public not to speculate or share images of the incident online or elsewhere.

  • Shortly after 6pm on Thursday, the emergency services were called to Biddick Drive in the Keyham area of Plymouth.

  • The public were told to stay inside and follow police advice, while others were not allowed into the homes as officers searched the area.

Plymouth shooting
Plymouth shooting
PA GraphicsPress Association Images
Plymouth shooting
Plymouth shooting
PA GraphicsPress Association Images
  • An eyewitness named only as Sharron told the BBC: “Firstly, there was shouting, followed by gunshots – three possibly four to begin with. This was when the shooter kicked in the door of a house and randomly started shooting. He ran from the house shooting as he ran and proceeded to shoot at a few people in the linear park up from the drive.”

  • She added that he “proceeded along Royal Navy Avenue still shooting”.

  • A second witness, Robert Pinkerton, told the BBC that he had “bumped into a bloke with a shotgun” who was dressed all in black when in the local area.

  • Ford Primary School and St Mark’s Church on Cambridge Road would be open from 9am on Friday as a “safe place for our community to come together”, according to Pollard.

  • Police are still calling for eyewitnesses to come forward, although Pollard admitted the information about the shooting was a bit “confused”.

  • Pollard said “quite a large part” of Keyham was now going to be cordoned off for some time.

  • The police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the tragedy.

  • Davison was a firearm license holder, according to police, and a weapon has been retrieved by officers.

  • There were 13 scenes throughout the incident, according to police, and the mass shooting lasted six minutes.

What we don’t know yet

  • The names of the victims or their exact relationship to Davison. These details have not been released to the public by the police, although next of kin are believed to have been informed.

  • Why the shooter opened fire.

  • If the suspect knew the victims.

  • The police said they are not aware of any links between the right-wing terrorist groups and the gunman, or of any previous mental health issues. They are not confirmed if Davison had any previous convictions.

  • If those injured in the shooting knew Davison. Pollard told Times Radio: “I’m afraid there’s an awful lot of people who seem to be caught up in this shooting.”

  • How the suspect became armed.

  • If legal action will be taken against those who share images of the incident online, as suggested by Johnny Mercer, the MP for Plymouth Moor View.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the shooter’s age. He was 22 years old, not 23.

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