One year on from the Plymouth shooting that claimed five people's lives
Events will be taking place across the city for people to pay their respects
Last updated 12th Aug 2022
Today (Friday 12 August 2022) marks exactly one year since the shooting in Plymouth, where the city lost the lives of five people and saw two others injured.
A number of events are planned today, for people to come together and reflect on last year's tragic events in Keyham.
This morning at 11.00am, a ceremony will take place at St Andrew's Church in Royal Parade. This event is invite only and guests will include the first responders on the scene.
St Thomas the Apostle Church in Keyham will be open from 8.30am – 6.00pm for people to come in and light a candle, have a cup of tea/coffee, or just be.
Later tonight at 7.00pm, two vigils will take place: One for the Keyham community in North Down Crescent Park and another for the wider Plymouth community near Smeaton's Tower on The Hoe. Members of the public are asked not to attend the vigil at North Down Crescent Park.
Elsewhere, Plymouth Argyle will be lighting the Devonport End exterior of the stadium green in memory of the Keyham tragedy. The club say visitors to the stadium are welcome to come and reflect.
They will also be holding a minute’s silence ahead of tomorrow’s match against Peterborough.
From the Friday to the Sunday, appropriate artwork, designed by young people in Keyham, will be projected onto Smeaton’s Tower and the Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Trained staff, including members of Victim Support, will be present at a number of community venues today and tomorrow to offer support to anyone who needs it. These venues will be listed on the Plymouth Together website.
On August 12, 2021, a gunman opened fire on Biddick Drive, killing five people and injuring two others, before turning the firearm on himself.
Since then, tributes have continued to pour in for Sophie Martyn, Lee Martyn, Kate Shepherd, Maxine Davison and Stephen Washington, those who survived, and the wider Keyham and Ford community.
An inquest looking into their deaths will begin on 16 January, 2023.
Support in the aftermath
Very soon after the events in Keyham last year, the Plymouth Together Fund was launched – to raise vital funds for the families, survivors and the local communities impacted.
So far, more than £100,000 has been raised and the process of distributing the money has already begun.
The Government also provided more than £1 million of initial funding to support recovery efforts after the tragedy.
On top of this, they provided nearly £800,000 worth of funding to support children’s services in the Keyham area. The Home Office also pledged £800,000 to pay for additional policing and CCTV.
Firearms licensing
On 15 August, 2021, the British government announced that it would issue guidance to require police to investigate social media posts of firearms licence applicants and current holders.
On 1 November, 2021, new guidance came into force, making it a requirement for any applicant to provide details of their medical history to the police. They may also be subjected to social media checks.
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard introduced a Bill to Parliament, know as 'Keyham's Law'. It proposes banning pump-action shot guns from being kept in homes and making violent misogyny a hate crime.
An Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation is taking place into the officers and staff involved in the Firearms Licencing Department, as well as an internal report from Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable looking at the whole Firearms Licencing Department. These both will not be published until the inquest has taken place.