‘Very young girl’ among six left dead in Plymouth shooting
A “very young girl” was among those shot dead by a gunman who killed four other people in Plymouth before shooting himself, police have said.
Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said the girl was shot dead by 22-year-old Jake Davison, while two people remain in hospital with “significant injuries”.
Speaking at a press conference, he said there were a “considerable” number of phone calls to emergency services and that police arrived at the scene on Biddick Drive in Keyham within six minutes.
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The shooting took place in Keyham, Plymouth
He confirmed Davison “murdered a woman” known to him at an address.
Police are investigating whether the pair were related but refused to confirm either way.
It’s not clear whether the suspect knew the rest of the victims, but Chief Constable Sawyer said Davison “knew people on that street”.
Jake Davison is suspected to have killed himself and five others. Pic: Facebook
“We believe we have an incident that is domestic-related and has spilled out into the street and seen several people within Plymouth losing their lives in an extraordinarily tragic circumstance,” he said.
Chief Constable Sawyer said Davison had a firearms licence in 2020 and there was “no motive” at present, and that witnesses described the weapon as a pump action shotgun – which was recovered from the scene.
He added: “Multiple shots have been fired from a firearm during that six-minute-or-so period.
“There are some 13 scenes and potentially more scenes. There are therefore five people of Plymouth who have lost their lives overnight – and Mr Davison himself – including a particularly young child.”
Constable Shaun Sawyer said officers arrived at the scene within six minutes
Chief Constable Sawyer said the victims’ identities would be made public at a later time.
Police also confirmed a woman, the girl and two men were found dead at the scene in Keyham on Thursday evening – along with Davison who is believed to be the suspected offender.
All are believed to have died from gunshot wounds.
Police activity in Biddick Drive where six people, including the offender, died from gunshot wounds
Another woman who was treated at the scene, also for gunshot wounds, died later in hospital.
Police named the suspected gunman as Davison earlier today, who Constable Sawyer said killed the others before turning his weapon on himself.
In videos shared online just weeks before the massacre, he spoke of being “beaten down” and “defeated by life”.
Davison, who posted on a YouTube channel under the name Professor Waffle, said he did not have “any willpower to do anything anymore” in a recording dated 28 July.
Jake Davison repeatedly referred to ‘incels’ in videos uploaded to YouTube
In several clips, he referred to the “incels” – an abbreviation online for “involutory celibacy”, the online subculture that involves men who are unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one, often expressing hostility and extreme resentment towards those who are sexually active, particularly women.
Although saying he did not “clarify” himself as an “incel”, Davison talked about “people similar to me have had nothing but themselves”.
Chief Constable Sawyer said police are “not considering terrorism or a relationship with any far-right group or any such other group” but will be investigating his computer hard drive.
A police investigator carries a tripod and evidence markers in Royal Navy Avenue in the Keyham area of Plymouth
Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, earlier confirmed on Twitter that one of the victims was a child under 10, and said he was “utterly devastated”.
He also said that more people were being treated for their injuries in hospital.
Officers were called to Biddick Drive at about 6.10pm following reports of a shooting.
South Western Ambulance Service said Hazardous Area Response Teams, multiple ambulances, air ambulances, multiple doctors and senior paramedics were also sent to the scene.
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‘Darkest day in Plymouth’s history’
Police declared a “critical incident” but stressed the shooting was not terror-related and they are not looking for anyone else in connection with what happened.
The next of kin of those who died have been informed.
Neighbours reported hearing very loud gunshots and some members of the public told Sky News it sounded like a bomb was going off.
Forensic experts have been pictured carrying out investigations at the crime scene on Friday morning. They have been doing fingertip searches, bagging up evidence and taking pictures.
A police investigator carries a tripod and evidence markers in Royal Navy Avenue in the Keyham area of Plymouth
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reacted to the news, saying his “thoughts are with the friends and family of those who lost their lives and with all those affected”.
He also thanked the emergency services for their response to the incident.
Home Secretary Priti Patel described the incident in the Devon city as “shocking” and said her thoughts were with all those affected.
Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth, Moor View, condemned the shooting as an “appalling act of violence” and told Sky News it will have “far-reaching effects throughout the community”.
A judo Olympian has said her family is “devastated” after the discovery of body in the search for her missing brother.
Lubjana Piovesana, 28, appealed for help to find her younger sibling, Luis, 26, on Saturday. He had not been seen since the early hours of Friday morning.
A body was found in the River Frome near Napier Road in Eastville, Bristol, at around 6pm today, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Formal identification is yet to take place, the force added.
In a post on Instagram, Ms Piovesana wrote: “Hello everyone, Luis has been found.
“We are completely devastated but he has passed away.
“I am grateful for everyone’s support. And I am so sorry this happened.
“Luis was my little brother and loved by everyone. I wish he could have seen the love from everyone. He will be remembered by us all.”
The post was signed off with a dove emoji.
Luis Piovesana did not have any money or his mobile phone with him when he went missing, police said. Pics: Avon & Somerset Police
Mr Piovesana was last seen at around 3am on Friday at the Eastgate retail park, which is less than a 10-minute walk away from where the body was found.
He had travelled there by taxi from a venue in Little Ann Street, St Jude’s, a 10-minute drive away.
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The 26-year-old’s family spent the weekend searching for him, and asked people to check their sheds and gardens.
His partner, Laurin Bohler, said loved ones had travelled from Birmingham to help.
Mounted officers and police drones were also involved in the investigation.
Ms Piovesana competed for Team GB before switching to the Austrian team, and defeated British competitor Lucy Renshall in the women’s -63kg judo event at the Paris Olympics last year.
A man has been jailed for life for murdering his son’s girlfriend after she returned home from the school run.
Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police were called to an address on Bigyn Road in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, on 5 July last year.
Sophie Evans, 30, had sustained 72 separate injuries on the outside of the body, “all but three of them new injuries”.
Richard Jones, who is now 50, believed he was “being taken advantage of financially” by Ms Evans and his son, with whom she was in a relationship.
While the purpose of Jones’s visit was “purely normal”, he confronted her on that morning about his suspicions and Ms Evans’s reaction was such that Jones “lost [his] temper”.
He subjected Ms Evans to “gross violence” before ultimately strangling her and leaving the property to run errands, including ordering a new bank card and buying pastries from a bakery.
Richard Jones. Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police
‘Last time on their school run’
During sentencing on Monday, the defendant kept his head bowed for most of the hearing.
He will have to serve at least 20 years behind bars before he can be considered for release by the parole board.
Swansea Crown Court heard Ms Evans was the mother of two young children.
Passing his sentence, Judge Geraint Walters said Ms Evans “had just taken her two children for the last time on their school run” prior to the attack.
“She wasn’t to know that when she parted company with them that morning,” he added.
The court heard the Jones believed he was being defrauded by Ms Evans and his son.
“There is clear evidence, that in the days leading up to this, that you had begun harbouring thoughts that Sophie Evans and your own son were in fact financially scamming you,” he said.
“What precisely brought about that view is difficult to determine.”
Judge Walters said Jones “lost [his] temper when [he] didn’t get the answer that [he] thought [he] deserved”.
He added that, having lost his temper, the defendant “subjected [Ms Evans] to gross violence over a period of time, before you ultimately extinguished her life by strangulation”.
The court was told in evidence that at the time of the attack, Ms Evans was wearing only a bath towel.
‘The rock of our family’
In a victim personal statement, Ms Evans’s sister Kerry Quinlan told the court she was “the rock of our family”.
She said Ms Evans was taken from them in a “senseless and cruel act”.
“Words cannot express fully how much of a loss this has been to her children,” she added.
“When they cry themselves to sleep wanting their mum, she isn’t there and never will be.”
Ms Quinlan added that Jones had “taken everything from us, all in the most despicable way possible”.
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Ms Evans’s partner at the time, and the defendant’s son, Jamie Davies, said in a victim personal statement, read on his behalf, that they had both “trusted” Jones, and that Ms Evans had even been planning the defendant’s 50th birthday.
“The thought of having to live my life without Sophie causes me extreme pain and heartache,” he added.
Prosecuting, Michael Jones KC said the offence was aggravated by the defendant’s previous convictions and the fact Ms Evans was murdered in her home.
In mitigation, David Elias KC said there was a “lack of premeditation”.
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