Several people were violently killed in Plymouth, England. The exact number of those injured is not yet known. The motive for the act is also still unclear.
Plymouth – According to police, six people were killed in an act of violence in the southern English city of Plymouth. According to media reports, an unspecified number of people were injured.
The alleged perpetrator was among the dead, the Devon and Cornwall Police tweeted early Friday morning. All victims – three men and three women – were shot dead. According to officially unconfirmed media reports, a small child was also among the dead.
The motive for the act of violence is still unclear. Local MP Luke Pollard told Times Radio that the information was still rather confused. The police are still looking for eyewitnesses. The exact number of injured is also not yet known.
A large part of the Keyham district is cordoned off, said Pollard. Like the police, he called on not to share photos and videos of the crime on social networks.
It has been the UK’s most shot dead incident for more than a decade. In June 2010, a man killed twelve people in north west England.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed his condolences to the relatives. “My thoughts go with the friends and families of those who have lost their lives and with everyone affected by this tragic incident in Plymouth last night,” Johnson tweeted. He thanked the rescue workers for their work in the southern English port city.
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. I thank the emergency services for their response.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) August 13, 2021
Shots and large-scale operations
An eyewitness who lives near the crime scene told the BBC that there were several shots. An attacker kicked the door of a house and started shooting. Then he continued to shoot outside. Both the police and rescue workers were deployed in the region with a large number of forces in the early evening. A local BBC reporter reported on countless emergency vehicles and helicopters.
The British Home Secretary Priti Patel expressed her condolences to those affected by the alleged acts of violence and called on the population to remain calm. “The incident in Plymouth is shocking and my thoughts are with those affected,” wrote Patel on Twitter Thursday evening. Opposition leader Keir Starmer also expressed his condolences to those affected. Local MPs urged residents not to share pictures or speculation on social media.
Local Labor MP Luke Pollard said late that evening on Twitter that the shooting was over, but some victims were still under treatment. The death of a child in the shooting had him “devastated”. dpa
