Plymouth shooting: Grief turns to anger as victims’ friends and politicians demand answers over gun licence

‘If he had issues why the hell was he allowed to have a shotgun?’ friend of victims said

Grieving friends of the Plymouth gunman’s victims have joined politicians in demanding answers about why the killer’s firearm was returned to him by police weeks before the deadly shooting.

Jake Davison, 22, was stripped of his shotgun in December following an alleged assault but officers returned it to him last month after he attended an anger management course.

Campaigners and politicians called for an urgent explanation about why Davison was given back his weapon, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggested a review of gun licensing laws may be needed.

Davidson shot dead five people - his mother Maxine Davison, 51, Lee Martyn, 43, Sophie Martyn, 3, Kate Shepherd, 66, and Stephen Washingtonm 59 - in Thursday’s killing spree before turning his gun on himself.

Terry Luscombe, 68, who knew the gunman’s mother and aunt, told The Independent: “The one thing I can’t understand is how they can give him a licence for the gun. Apparently the police had altercations with him over the years. They should have got a search warrant and taken his guns away years ago.”

Sir Keir said: “I think the wider question is how on earth did he get a gun licence in the first place, what background checks were done.”

He added: “I do think there are wider questions here and that could involve a review of the gun licensing laws because there are other questions here that need to be addressed.”

His comments came as home secretary Priti Patel paid her respects to the victims of the mass shooting in Keyham by placing a floral tribute near to the scene.

Ms Patel, who was joined on her visit on Saturday by Devon and Cornwall Police chief constable Shaun Sawyer and local MP Luke Pollard, said: “It’s tragic beyond words, really, really tragic, for a range of reasons, and obviously for those involved.”

Hundreds of people attended a candle-lit vigil close to where the incident on Friday night in an outpouring of grief for the victims.

Meanwhile, a probe is under way into Davison’s possession of a shotgun and a firearms licence, which were returned to him after being removed at the end of last year.

The gunman’s mother and father had reportedly sought help for their son in recent weeks. One friend of the family, Klaudia Pieszak, wrote on social media: “The dad even begged the mental health team to assess him but they basically said they couldn’t be bothered and said they were too short of staff to come out.”

Davison had described himself as an “incel” - an involuntary celibate man - and posted a series of videos online bemoaning the fact that he had not lost his virginity as a teenager.

One neighbour and a friend of the Davison family said that the killer had fallen out with his mother over his misogynistic views.

Former chief crown prosecutor Nazir Afzal said on Saturday that Mr Davison was “exactly the type of person the authorities should be keeping an eye on”.

A friend of victim Lee Martyn added: “If he had issues why the hell was he allowed to have a shotgun?”

Labour MP Mr Pollard told The Independent: “I want to see a proper and thorough investigation into how the shooter got a firearms licence. Why he was given back that gun? That’s the question that people in this community have.”

Speaking about the moment he learned the police had handed Davison back his weapon, he added: “I was a bit broken anyway when I saw that news, and that made me even more so.”

Referring to whether the killer’s family had sought medical help prior to the incident, Mr Pollard said: “I don’t know at the moment but that is a question for the investigation to properly look at. We will want those answers.”

Plymouth city councillor Nick Kelly said: “ I think the question that a lot of people are asking is how could a 22-year-old assistant crane driver with our largest employer, Badcock, have a gun, first and foremost. Then have that gun taken away from him because he was deemed unfit to hold a licence, and then satisfy whatever checks were completed to get that gun back. Within a relatively short period of time he then went and basically executed people with it.

“I think the best thing now is for the IPCC to carry out their investigation with Devon and Cornwall Police. If they haven’t complied with the necessary guidelines that’s one issue. If they have, then the wider issue is do we have to look at gun reform full stop.

“This incident should have the wider impact of making gun ownership in the UK far more regimented.”

Local Terry Luscombe, who knew the gunman’s family, said: “I was walking along the road coming back home and I just missed the attack by a few minutes. It’s shocking really. I’m sad really, because I knew Maxine, his mother. My friend’s wife is Maxine’s sister, Marlene. I knew them through socialising.

“I used to see her round the streets shopping and my sister knew her as well. One of my friends saw the whole thing happen. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I feel like swearing at him [Jake Davison], I wish he had survived to face justice.

“My friend told me what had happened, that it was Marlene’s sister – and I said, ‘oh the pretty little thing,’ because she was petite, Maxine. It’s a sad state of affairs.”

A large police cordon remained in place on Saturday at the scene of the shooting.

More than 70 bouquets have been left outside a Lidl supermarket close to where the victims were killed, with green heart-shaped balloons bearing the names of the five victims.

More floral tributes have been left by mourners in nearby North Down Crescent Park, where hundreds attended a candle-lit vigil in honour of the victims on Friday evening.

One woman, who gave her name only as Terri, brought her two grandchildren as she paid her respects at the park on Saturday.

She told reporters she had known Ms Davison “for years” and that she was “lovely”, adding: “I didn’t even realise it was her until yesterday when I saw her photo.”

She said she had brought her two grandchildren to pay tribute in particular to three-year-old Sophie, placing a pink candle and teddy bear next to the floral tributes.

Mr Sproston told reporters: “How I define that is the fact that every single kid, every single adult, knows exactly where they were, similar to 9/11.

“To the point that I speak to people, and they will tell me exactly where their brother was, where their sister was, where their mother was.

“That’s the impact that it’s had on people, it’s going to be something that is in their own minds and thoughts for a long period of time.”

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has launched an investigation into Devon and Cornwall Police’s decision to hand the licence back.

The force said it was unable to comment on the circumstances of the decision while the probe was ongoing.

It added a 53-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man, who were injured during Thursday’s shootings, were recovering in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.