A man suspected of killing five people in a shooting in Plymouth before turning the gun on himself is named locally as Jake Davison. This is the worst mass shooting seen in Britain since 2010.
On Thursday evening two males and three females were shot in the Keyham area of the city, including one child. Four of them died at the scene, while the other passed away shortly after in hospital.
Police say the incident is not terror-related, and they are not looking for anyone else in connection to it.
Emergency services responded to calls to Biddick Drive just after 18:00 BST on Thursday night. Devon and Cornwall police attended the scene, cordoning off the area, telling people to stay inside and follow their advice.
One eyewitness who lives nearby describes the events as “horrendous and so sad”. She recalls what happened, hearing shouting at first, followed by by three or four gun shots. She says the shooter then “kicked in the door of a house and randomly started shooting”. Following this, the gunman ran away from the house while shooting, then shot at people in the park.
Members of the public living locally were not allowed access to their homes, as crime officers in white suits were sighted using cameras in the street.
The last mass shooting occurring in Britain was when taxi driver Derrick Bird killed 12 people in Cumbria in 2010.
‘Unspeakably awful’
Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard says the incident is “unspeakably awful”. He is “utterly devastated” to learn one of the dead victims is a child, and says the community is now ”trying to make sense” of events.
Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted, saying how “shocking” she found the incident in Plymouth. She offered her full support, as her “thoughts are with those affected”. “I urge everyone to remain calm, follow police advice and allow our emergency services to get on with their jobs,” she adds.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer describes it as a “clear tragedy”, although realises “there’s much we don’t know about the shocking events in Plymouth”.
MP for Plymouth Moor Johnny Mercer calls the events of Thursday evening “tragic” and “devastating”. He describes it as a “traumatic” experience which now needs the community to come together and try to understand it” as much as possible.
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Plymouth the Right Reverend Nick McKinnel says the city is “left with a legacy of grief and trauma, as well as great anxiety”. He says the events caused confusion and panic with people in shock as the tragedy unfolded. “This is going to affect people’s lives forever,” he adds.
Mr Pollard says a local school and church are open as a “safe place for our community to come together”.
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