Six Dead in Britain’s Worst Mass Shooting in More Than a Decade
Jake Davison, a 22-year-old crane operator, turned the gun on himself after opening fire in the UK port city of Plymouth. The motive is unclear, police said.
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Five people, including a very young child, were shot and killed in Britain’s worst mass shooting in more than a decade, reports the Washington Post. Police identified the suspect as Jake Davison, a 22-year-old crane operator, who started shooting Thursday evening. Before firearms officers could tackle him, Davison turned the gun on himself. The motive for the murders was unclear, say police, but they are not considering this an act of terrorism or extremist violence.
Mass shootings are rare in the United Kingdom, which has one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world. The UK also has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, including comprehensive background checks that make obtaining firearms difficult. The last mass shooting on British soil took place in 2010. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted Friday, “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,” as he thanked emergency responders. Luke Pollard, a lawmaker for the area of Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, said Thursday’s shooting was “unspeakably awful.”
