AFP :
Six people, including the suspected gunman, died Thursday following a “serious firearms incident” in the southwestern English city of Plymouth, police said, with reports one victim was a child aged under 10.
Devon and Cornwall Police declared a “critical incident” in the Keyham area of Plymouth early Thursday evening after the shooting, but later said it was not being considered terrorism-related.
Officers responded
alongside other emergency services, including air ambulance staff, to reports of gunshots in the residential neighbourhood near some of the city’s docks.
“Two females and two males were deceased at the scene,” Devon and Cornwall Police said in an update early Friday after hours of uncertainty around the incident. Police added another male – believed to be the gunman – was also found dead nearby while another female treated at the scene died a short time later in hospital.
“All are believed to have died from gunshot wounds,” the force said.
Shortly after police confirmed the death toll, local lawmaker Luke Pollard reported one of those killed “was a child under ten years old”.
“More people are being treated for their injuries in hospital,” the Labour MP tweeted.
It was unclear how the victims and suspected perpetrator were connected, with many details of what unfolded in the city of around 262,000 residents in the sleepy southwest English county Devon remaining unclear.
“Police would stress this is not a terrorism-related incident,” Devon and Cornwall Police said, noting officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with it.
“Investigations are continuing,” the force added, urging people with mobile phone footage of the aftermath of the events not to share it online.
British media said residents had reported hearing loud bangs and gunshots before police swarmed the area. Mass casualty shootings are rare in Britain, where most police officers are unarmed, while southwest England – a popular domestic holiday destination – is typically known as a tranquil part of the country.
Plymouth, the region’s biggest city, is home to the biggest naval base in western Europe, including nuclear submarines and large warships.
