Keyham mass shooting: what happened in Plymouth in 2021 as victims remembered on first anniversary of attack

People have gathered on the first anniversary of one of the UK’s worst mass shootings to remember its victims.

Last August 12, Jake Davison killed his mother, Maxine Davison, 51, after a row and then shot four others dead in a 12-minute attack.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happened?

A gunman killed five people including a three-year-old girl in a six-minute shooting spree in Plymouth before turning the weapon on himself.

A critical incident was declared by Devon and Cornwall Police following the “serious firearms” incident in Biddick Drive, in the Keyham area of the city.

At a press conference in Plymouth at the time, Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer confirmed that Jake Davison shot and killed a 51-year-old woman at a house in Biddick Drive in the Keyham area of Plymouth, before going outside and “immediately” shooting dead a girl and her male relative, aged 43.

He moved along Biddick Drive, where he aimed and shot at two local residents – a man aged 33 and a 53-year-old woman – who received significant injuries.

Davison then entered a nearby park, where he killed a man, aged 59, before shooting a woman, aged 66, on Henderson Place - Davison then turned the weapon on himself.

Armed and unarmed officers arrived at the scene within six minutes of receiving multiple calls from the public, but Davison had shot himself before they were able to engage with him.

Who was Davison?

Jake Davison appeared to post on a YouTube account under the name Professor Waffle - just weeks before the massacre - about how he was “beaten down” and “defeated by life”.

His channel was subscribed to gun-related accounts and another named Incel TV, which features content related to “involuntary celibacy”, although in one of his videos Davison said he “wouldn’t clarify myself as an incel”.

The online subculture involves men who express hostility and extreme resentment towards those who are sexually active, particularly women.

In another clip, he discusses missing out on a teenage romance and refers to “Chads”, an incel community term for good-looking men who attract women.

How will the event be marked?

Plymouth will mark the milestone with a civic ceremony at the Minster Church of St Andrew and a community vigil in North Down Crescent Park.

Councillor Richard Bingley, leader of Plymouth City Council, said Friday “will be a very difficult time for many and our thoughts are with the families, the survivors and the communities of Keyham, Ford and the surrounding areas”.

“The anniversary will be a time for people to come together, or just reflect quietly, and remember loved ones following this devastating event,” he said.

The killings led to outpourings of sympathy and offers of help from across the community.

There was also a groundswell of compassion from national leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Writing on Twitter, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “My thoughts are with the friends and family of those who lost their lives and with all those affected by the tragic incident in Plymouth last night.”