![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Jake Davison is the 22-year-old man accused in England’s first mass shooting in over a decade. A YouTube video in the name “Professor Waffle” showed he related to people in the “incel” movement.
Six people, including Davison, died in the six-minute shooting rampage, which unfolded on the evening of August 12, 2021, in Plymouth, England. You can watch some of his videos later in this article, but be aware that they’re disturbing.
“The offender has been named as Jake Davison, aged 22,” police confirmed in a statement.
Devon & Cornwall Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said in the police statement: “This is a truly shocking and tragic incident which has seen five people and an offender lose their life. The impact on the local community of Keyham, the city of Plymouth and many communities across the country in which relatives of the deceased live will be felt for many months and years. I have already been involved in extensive discussions with Plymouth City Council and local community leaders earlier today and we are committed to playing our part in helping the community deal with the impact a event like this brings.”
Police say they don’t believe terrorism was involved, and they are researching the motive. Some people criticized that determination, saying that the incel movement is essentially “gender terrorism.” According to Sky News, the incel movement, which refers to involuntary celibate, “has now been associated with at least six mass shootings and the murder of 46 people in the US.” It’s defined by men who hate women because they don’t feel they can attract women, and the violence associated with it is generally traced to Elliot Rodger, who murdered multiple students at the University of California in 2014.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Davison, Who Killed His Own Mother at the Start of the Rampage, Referenced ‘Terminator’ Movies in 1 Video & Ranted That ‘It’s Just Me Against the World’
“I’m so beaten down and defeated by life,” Davison says in one video he posted to YouTube.
“That drive I once had is gone. I tried, and I’ll always keep trying, but it’s like I’m at the point now where it’s like why do I even bother, for what, you know? I’m still in the same house, same situation, same position. Everything’s still the same for the most part. It’s just me against the world, it’s just me fighting an uphill battle.”
He mentioned the “whole premise of the Terminator movies,” saying it’s that “everything’s rigged against you. There’s no hope for humanity. We’re all at the brink of extinction. These machines are unstoppable…”
Watch that video here:
Authorities say that Davison shot and killed a woman in a house before killing two more people outside of it and then shooting two other people down the street and shooting a man in a park and a woman on a nearby street, CBS News reported.
“Hearing that one of the dead is a small child is utterly heartbreaking,” Plymouth Member of Parliament Luke Pollard wrote in a tweet. The child was walking her dog when killed, according to Al-Jazeera.
According to police in England, Devon & Cornwall Police “can now confirm the identities of those people who have died following a shooting incident in Keyham, Plymouth on Thursday, August 12, 2021. All the deceased lived locally in the Keyham area.”
The victims have been identified as Maxine Davison, also known as Maxine Chapman, aged 51, who was the mother of the offender, police wrote.
“Further victims were Sophie Martyn, aged three, and her father Lee Martyn, aged 43. Stephen Washington, aged 59, was also deceased. The final deceased person was Kate Shepherd, aged 66, who was injured at the scene and died later at Derriford Hospital.”
Police said the firearm “believed to have been used during the incident was legally held by the offender. The circumstances surrounding that have now been subject to a mandatory referral to the IOPC by Devon & Cornwall Police. Police continue to investigate 13 scenes within the cordon in Keyham which is expected to remain in place throughout much of the weekend.”
2. Davison Spoke About Incels on YouTube & Reddit, Reports Say
CBS News also reported that Davison posted videos on the Professor Waffle site. His final video was 11 minutes long and said he was “beaten down and defeated by … life,” CBS reported, saying that he was troubled by his weight and problems meeting women. He worked as a scaffolder, CBS reported, saying that he mentioned “people who are incels” and adding that he didn’t consider himself one but that he believed incels were “people similar to me, they’ve had nothing but themselves, and then they’ve socially had it tough.”
A Twitter user who says he reviewed Davison’s YouTube channel before YouTube took it down said the suspect posted about incels.
“Davidson ran a YouTube channel, and in his last video just over 2 weeks ago spoke about being black pilled and the absence of a good life, for incels and virgins,” wrote Twitter user Mark Malone, who said Davison posted on a channel called “Professor Waffle.”
“On a video on 23rd July, #JakeDavidson is repeating Jordan Peterson lines and misogynist views of women. YouTube have *just* terminated #JakeDavison’s YouTube account. They have removed videos, his playlists full of gun material and the record of his YouTube subscriptions and viewing history. There are some good rationale for this, but also researchers can no longer access info.”
He added, “#JakeDavidson was also quite active on the Reddit forum. He commented in several subreddits, including lots in the Doomer sub. Doomer? It is a self-described term associated with incel culture, pessimism and ‘black pills.'”
3. Davison Took His Own Life After the Rampage, Police Say
Police say they are “continuing to investigate the circumstances of a shooting in Keyham, Plymouth on Thursday evening which has left six people dead.”
They said they were called shortly after 6:11 p.m. “on Thursday after shots were reported as being fired in the Biddick Drive area of the city. Firearms officers attended and one woman, two men and a young girl, as well as the offender were all found deceased in the area. The offender was reported deceased at 6:23 p.m. An injured woman also died later at Derriford Hospital.”
They noted that two other people, a 53-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man who were known to each other, “were injured at the scene and continue to be treated in hospital. Neither are seriously injured.”
4. Davison Was a ‘Licensed Firearm Holder,’ Authorities Revealed
Jake Davison “was a licensed firearm holder, the circumstances of which will now be subject to full, independent investigation and scrutiny,” police said. Sky News reported that he liked videos relating to guns on YouTube and titled one video, “Lack of willpower drive and motivation when life beats you down.”
According to CBS News, the weapon used was “a pump-action shotgun.”
Chief Constable Sawyer added: “I am immensely proud of how my officers dealt with the initial call and response to what was described as an extremely distressing scene. Both non-armed and armed officers attended within six minutes to what was a very fast moving event. We will now take whatever time is necessary to examine some 13 scenes within the immediate area. This may cause some disruption to the local community, for which we apologise, but there must be a forensic analysis to piece together any evidence possible.”
Chief Constable Sawyer said: “This was a deeply traumatic event and I know local people will be worried and concerned.
5. Davison Worked as a Crane Operator & Shared a Quote From Donald Trump
Al-Jazeera gave Davison’s occupation as a crane operator, and the BBC confirmed that Davison had been an apprentice crane operator since August 2020 with British aerospace, defense and nuclear engineering services company Babcock International.
Babcock International CEO David Lockwood told the BBC he was “shocked and deeply saddened by the events.”
Sky News reported that, on Facebook, Davison shared this quote from Donald Trump: “In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch.” He claimed he was from Phoenix, Arizona, but he spoke with a British accent in his videos.