Plymouth shooting: burst of savagery that began with an attack on a mother

Members of the public attend a vigil for Maxine Davison, Lee and Sophie Martyn, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd in Plymouth on 12 August 2021. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

As is frequently the case in mass shootings, Jake Davison’s eight-minute burst of savagery began with a domestic attack on a woman.

Davison, 22, thickset and strong thanks to a combination of gym work and steroids, argued violently with his mother, Maxine, 51, in the modest Plymouth home they shared.