Plymouth shooting: Gunman shot five people after arguing with mother, inquest told

A gunman shot dead five people after a row with his mother, an inquest has heard.

Jake Davison, 22, killed his mother Maxine Davison, 51, at her home in Plymouth before going outside and shooting dead four others in a 12-minute attack on the evening of August 12.

Three-year-old Sophie Martyn and her father Lee, 43, were shot dead in front of horrified onlookers as they walked their pet dog in Biddick Drive.

Davison then shot Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park, before shooting Kate Shepherd, 66, on Henderson Place.

Police forensic officers in Biddick Drive in the Keyham area of Plymouth, following the deaths of six people, including the offender, who died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident.

The apprentice crane operator then turned the gun on himself before armed officers reached him.

During a 10-minute hearing on Thursday, Ian Arrow, senior coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, formally opened the inquests into Davison’s victims and received evidence from police of identification and the brief circumstances of their deaths.

Detective Steve Hambly, the senior investigating officer, told the hearing all five had died from shotgun wounds and the results of histology and toxicology tests were pending.

The coroner adjourned all inquests and fixed a provisional date for pre-inquest reviews on December 9.

An inquest into Davison will be opened and adjourned later.

As well as the coroner’s investigation, two other inquiries are already under way into the shootings.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is examining the decision by the Devon and Cornwall force to return Davison’s shotgun certificate and weapon to him just weeks before the killings after they were seized following an allegation of assault.

The National Police Chiefs Council is also leading an investigation, in conjunction with the local police and crime commissioner, into the force’s firearms policies and procedures.

Meanwhile, the Government will be introducing new statutory guidance, including asking doctors to undertake medical checks on anyone applying for a licence, as well as inquiries into social media usage.

The Home Office has previously asked all police forces in England and Wales to review their current firearm application processes, as well as assess whether they need to revisit any existing licences.

Davison received mental health support during the coronavirus lockdown and had been in contact with a telephone helpline service in Plymouth run by the Livewell Southwest organisation.

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