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Plymouth shooting

Coordinates: 50°23′27″N 4°10′15″W / 50.39083°N 4.17083°W / 50.39083; -4.17083
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Plymouth shooting
Map
LocationKeyham, Plymouth, Devon, England, UK
Coordinates50°23′27″N 4°10′15″W / 50.39083°N 4.17083°W / 50.39083; -4.17083
Date12 August 2021
c. 18:11 (BST)
Attack type
Mass murder, mass shooting, murder–suicide
WeaponsShotgun
Deaths6 (including the perpetrator)
Injured2
VictimsResidents of Keyham
PerpetratorJake Davison
MotiveUndetermined

The Plymouth shooting occurred in the Keyham area of Plymouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom, on 12 August 2021. The gunman, 22-year-old Jake Davison, shot and killed five people and injured two others before fatally shooting himself. Devon and Cornwall Police have not identified a motive. It was the first fatal mass shooting in the UK since the Cumbria shootings of 2010.

In response, the Home Office announced that it would issue updated guidelines for firearms licence applications.

Background

In the United Kingdom, it is necessary to have either a firearms certificate (FAC) or a shotgun certificate (SGC) to legally own most classes of permitted firearms; in Great Britain,[a] certificates are granted by the local policing authority.[2] For an FAC, the applicant must demonstrate a good reason for owning the particular firearm, as well as having certified secure storage, while an SGC only requires the latter; both types of certificate require a background check.[1]

The most recent previous fatal mass shooting event in the UK were the Cumbria shootings in 2010, when lone gunman Derrick Bird killed twelve people using two licensed firearms.[3]

Shooting

Henderson Place, the street where the shooting ended (pictured in 2010)

At 18:11 BST (UTC+1) on 12 August 2021,[4] Devon and Cornwall Police received reports of shots having been fired inside a house on Biddick Drive, a residential street in the Keyham area of Plymouth, Devon;[5] within the house, 22-year-old Jake Davison had killed his 51-year-old mother after an argument.[6][7][8] He then left the house with what witnesses described as a pump-action shotgun, and shot and killed a 3-year-old girl and her 43-year-old father in the street.[9] Next, he injured a 53-year-old woman and her 33-year-old son in a house on Biddick Drive,[10] before shooting and killing a 59-year-old man in a nearby park.[11]

Davison then went to Henderson Place, where he shot and fatally wounded a 66-year-old woman; he told a passing resident that there was "nothing to worry about, mate".[12] Shortly before killing himself, Davison was described as "walking like [he] was on patrol, like a soldier with a gun" and with a "blank expression".[5] At 18:23, Davison shot himself on Henderson Place.[12][4]

Emergency response

G-DAAN, one of the air ambulances that attended the scene[13] (pictured in 2013)

Devon and Cornwall Police and the South Western Ambulance Service were alerted to the incident at 18:11 and 18:12, respectively.[13] The ambulance service responded with a significant number of resources, including hazardous area response teams, ambulances, specialist paramedics, and air ambulances.[13] According to Devon and Cornwall Police, officers attended the scene within six minutes of the emergency calls, and they subsequently found the bodies of Davison and four of the victims.[8] They described the events as a "serious firearms incident" and established thirteen different crime scenes within the cordoned area.[14][15]

The 66-year-old female victim was treated at Henderson Place for gunshot wounds but later died in Derriford Hospital.[4][16] The two survivors received significant but non-life-threatening injuries.[17] At 21:25, the police reported they believed the incident to be contained.[18]

Perpetrator

The gunman was named by police as Jake Davison,[19] a 22-year-old apprentice crane operator at security and defence company Babcock International.[8][20][21] The chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Shaun Sawyer, said that Davison's motive was unknown, but that police believed the shooting was a "domestic incident [that] spilled into the streets".[4] He stated that police were not considering terrorism as a motive,[4] although commentators have questioned whether Davison's ideologies would constitute terrorism.[22][23]

Davison was diagnosed with autism and ADHD as a child and attended Mount Tamar school for special needs children.[24] He was a regular visitor to the Shetland Islands, a remote destination in the UK, where he spent long periods of time with his mother's relatives; it was there that initial concerns were raised about his mental state.[25] In 2016, Davison was reported to the police for allegedly attacking a man and his pregnant girlfriend not far from where the shooting would occur; Davison was warned by police but not prosecuted.[26] A close source to the family said that Davison had recently deteriorated after suffering from mental health problems for most of his life, and that his mother was "begging for help from the authorities but nobody did a welfare check".[27] During the UK's COVID-19 lockdowns in the eighteen months before the shooting, Davison had accessed a local mental health support charity.[28]

Davison had been licensed to own a firearm since 2018, and police believe he used a legally-held firearm in the shooting.[21][29] Police had removed his shotgun and licence in December 2020 following an assault allegation described as "a row with two youths",[30] but the weapons were returned in early July 2021,[31] a month before the killings, after he completed an anger management course.[30][32] Following Devon and Cornwall Police's self-referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the agency investigated the service's previous dealings with Davison, its decision to grant him a firearms licence and the decision to reinstate the licence, and the decision return his gun after it was temporarily revoked.[33][10]

Davison uploaded videos to YouTube under the name "Professor Waffle".[34] His videos included references to "inceldom", the black pill worldview and general nihilism.[35] In his last video, Davison described himself as "beaten down and defeated by life" and said: "I wouldn't clarify [sic] myself as an incel but have talked to people similar to me who have had nothing but themselves."[36][7]

Davison expressed misogynist and homophobic views, and used Reddit to share hostility and resentment towards his mother, who had repeatedly attempted to obtain – and persuade him to receive – treatment for his mental health.[7] On Reddit, he subscribed to incel-related content, and other clips of his videos contained further references to, and used terminology of, that community. In one clip, Davison discussed "missing out on a teenage romance" and referred to "Chads", slang for confident, sexually active men. He said he had considered using drugs to "make up for that missed teenage experience" and that, "I have a feeling like I missed that boat and it's never coming back".[35]

Davison was also active in gun enthusiast subreddits.[37][35] Reddit suspended his account a day before the shooting for making inappropriate comments to a 16-year-old female American Reddit user. He had initially been friendly with the girl and had discussed having a relationship with her, before the conversation soured and he began to repeatedly ask to have sex with her. According to the report, the girl complained that he had repeatedly asked her to date him, travel to see him, and have sex with him, and had made comments about how sex with someone of her age is acceptable because it was legal in the UK. Various users urged her to report Davison to the police, but she wrote that she did not know what to do and had been advised by her mother not to get involved.[38]

Davison's mother had begun to argue with her son over his sexist views and diatribes on women in the months before the shooting. A neighbour said Davison and his mother "used to be close [...] but then his views changed and he went against women and he became a misogynist [...] they clashed a lot about that." Davison had a physical confrontation with his father shortly before the shooting.[39] His Facebook and YouTube accounts were terminated in line with the sites' behavioural policies.[40]

Aftermath

Vigil and condolences

An evening vigil was held on 13 August at North Down Crescent Park in Keyham.[41] Flags in the city were flown at half-mast, and Smeaton's Tower was lit up that evening as a mark of respect.[42]

Books of condolence were made available in several locations, along with an online book on the Plymouth City Council's website.[43] Several memorials were placed at areas close to the crime scenes, where flowers and cards were laid, as well as further impromptu vigils being held by residents.[44]

Investigation

On 19 August the inquest into the deaths of Davison and his five victims was opened in Plymouth.[45] Detective Inspector Steve Hambly, who is leading the investigation, codenamed Operation Lillypad,[15][b] said that apart from Davison's mother, the victims had been attacked by a person not known to them. The senior coroner in Plymouth, Ian Arrow, asked the IOPC to examine the case of Michael Atherton, 42, who killed his partner, her sister and her niece before killing himself on New Year's Day 2012 in County Durham.[46]

On 6 October 2021, the IOPC issued disciplinary notices to two members of Devon and Cornwall Police over their handling of Davison's certificate for his shotgun, which he used for clay pigeon shooting.[47]

Firearm licensing

On 15 August 2021, the British government announced that it would issue guidance to require police to investigate social media posts of firearms licence applicants and current holders.[48][49] Before the new guidance is published, the Home Office asked all police services in England and Wales to immediately "to review their practices and whether any existing licences need to be looked at again".[50]

In February 2022 Davison's father Mark was interviewed for the BBC and said he was "sorry" and "ashamed" of his son's actions. He said that he had told police, in 2017, that he did not think his son should be allowed a shotgun.[51]

Notes

  1. ^ Within the United Kingdom, regulations for shotgun and firearms ownership in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) differ from those in Northern Ireland.[1]
  2. ^ Some sources give the name as Operation Lily Pad[46]

References

  1. ^ a b "Plymouth shooting: Who can own a firearm or shotgun in the UK?". BBC News. 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Shotgun and firearm certificates - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. UK Government. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  3. ^ Picheta, Rob; Kent, Lauren. "Five dead and suspect killed after 'devastating' shooting in England". CNN. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Plymouth shooting: Gunman's victims included 'very young girl'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Plymouth shootings: Man who comforted victim describes coming face to face with gunman Jake Davison". Sky News. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Plymouth shooting: Gunman argued with mum before attack". BBC News. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Weaver, Matthew; Morris, Steven (13 August 2021). "Plymouth gunman: a hate-filled misogynist and 'incel'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  8. ^ a b c Hamilton, Fiona; Brown, David; Swinford, Steven; Charters, Cameron. "Mother of Plymouth gunman first to die in rampage that killed six". The Times. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  9. ^ Thomas, Natalie (13 August 2021). "In rare British mass shooting, gunman kills five, including 3-year-old girl". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b Weaver, Matthew (16 August 2021). "Relatives of wounded angry about return of Plymouth gunman's licence". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  11. ^ Sawer, Patrick; Gardner, Bill (12 August 2021). "Plymouth shooting: Everything we know as police confirm six dead in Keyham". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b Sawer, Patrick; Hardy, Jack; McTaggart, India (13 August 2021). "Plymouth shooting: the 12 minutes of mayhem that left five dead before killer turned shotgun on himself". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Emergency services respond to incident in Keyham in Plymouth". BBC News. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. ^ BBC Radio Devon [@BBCDevon] (12 August 2021). "BREAKING: Police confirm: 'serious firearms incident' Biddick Drive, Keyham ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ a b "OP LILLYPAD: Shooting Incident, Keyham, Plymouth on Thursday 12th August 2021". mipp.police.uk. Major Incident Public Portal. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  16. ^ "6 people killed, including suspected shooter, in southwest England, police say". Chicago Tribune. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021 – via Associated Press.
  17. ^ Grierson, Jamie; Weaver, Matthew (13 August 2021). "Three-year-old girl among victims of Plymouth shooting". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  18. ^ Devon and Cornwall Police [@DC_Police] (12 August 2021). "Tweet 2 of 4. There have been a number of fatalities..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "Plymouth shooting: Jake Davison named as gunman who killed five". BBC News. 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  20. ^ Hardy, Jack; Gardner, Jack; Lyons, Izzy (13 August 2021). "Plymouth gunman Jake Davison said 'I am a terminator' in final YouTube video before rampage". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  21. ^ a b Dodd, Vikram; Grierson, Jamie; Morris, Steven; Weaver, Matthew; Topping, Alexandra (13 August 2021). "Plymouth shooting: police reinstated gunman's firearms licence last month". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  22. ^ Grierson, Jamie (13 August 2021). "Should the Plymouth shootings be declared an act of terror?". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Plymouth shootings: Attack could be reclassified as terrorism over Jake Davison's 'incel' links". Sky News. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Police 'failed catastrophically' in giving Plymouth killer gun licence". Telegraph. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  25. ^ Hamilton, Jane (13 August 2021). "Plymouth shooter's family lived in Scotland and dad was jailed for attack". Daily Record. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  26. ^ Hill, Patrick (15 August 2021). "Plymouth shooter Jake Davison was let off by police five years ago". Daily Record. Retrieved 15 August 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Hamilton, Jane; Shaw, Neil (13 August 2021). "Plymouth gunman spent time on remote island with his family". HullLive. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  28. ^ Taylor, Joanna (17 August 2021). "Plymouth gunman received mental health support in lockdown". The Independent. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  29. ^ "Update to Keyham shooting investigation". Devon and Cornwall Police. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  30. ^ a b Houghton, Steve (14 August 2021). "Plymouth killer went on anger course to get gun back". HullLive. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  31. ^ Coles, Amy (14 August 2021). "Plymouth shooting: Devon and Cornwall Police to be investigated over Jake Davison's shotgun licence". Sky News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  32. ^ Dixon, Hayley; Lyons, Izzy; Hymas, Charles; Gardner, Bill (13 August 2021). "The Plymouth 'incel' killer was given back his gun licence last month". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  33. ^ Lyons, Izzy; Sawer, Patrick; Gardner, Bill; Dixon, Hayley (13 August 2021). "Plymouth shooting: gunman Jake Davison murdered his mother before killing three-year-old girl". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  34. ^ The Telegraph (13 August 2021). Plymouth gunman Jake Davison says 'I am a terminator' in final YouTube video before death (Video). Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  35. ^ a b c "Plymouth shooting suspect Jake Davison liked gun videos and talked about 'incel' in weeks before attack". Sky News. 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  36. ^ Topping, Alexandra (13 August 2021). "Plymouth shootings may be a sign 'incel' culture is spreading". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  37. ^ Thompson, Flora (13 August 2021). "Plymouth 'shooter' spoke about being the 'Terminator' online". Yahoo!Finance. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  38. ^ Bird, Steve (14 August 2021). "Reddit suspended Jake Davison's account the day before shooting after he harassed 16-year-old girl". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  39. ^ Lyons, Izzy; Sawer, Patrick. "Plymouth killer had clashed with mother and first victim Maxine Davison over his extreme views". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021 – via MSN.
  40. ^ "Plymouth shooting live updates: Six dead and suspect named as 22-year-old Jake Davison as police give details of 'traumatic' killings". Sky News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  41. ^ Phillips, Alexa (13 August 2021). "Plymouth shooting: Mother of gunman Jake Davison named among five victims". Sky News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  42. ^ "Plymouth shooting: Gunman shot own mother then a dad and daughter". BBC News. 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  43. ^ Hayhurst, Claire (13 August 2021). "Support offered to those affected by mass shooting in Plymouth". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  44. ^ Watson, Eve (14 August 2021). "City still in mourning after tragic shooting". PlymouthLive. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  45. ^ Bancroft, Holly (19 August 2021). "Gunman argued with mother before shooting her dead, Plymouth attack inquest hears". The Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  46. ^ a b Morris, Steven (19 August 2021). "Coroner in Plymouth gunman case requests review of weapons licensing". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  47. ^ "Plymouth shootings: Police worker faces misconduct proceedings". BBC News. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  48. ^ Hamilton, Fiona (16 August 2021). "Plymouth shootings: Social media vetting for gun licence applicants". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  49. ^ Hymas, Charles; Dixon, Hayley (15 August 2021). "Gun owners face social media checks after Plymouth shooting". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  50. ^ "Plymouth shootings: Police asked to review gun licence process". BBC News. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  51. ^ "Plymouth shootings: Killer's dad says he's sorry and ashamed". 11 February 2022 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
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