A man who killed five people in a mass shooting in Plymouth has been officially named as Jake Davison.

Devon and Cornwall Police said three females, two males and the suspect had died in the Keyham area of the city on Thursday evening.

One of those killed was a "small child" aged under ten, according to local MP Luke Pollard.

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The five victims of gunman Jake Davison included a "very young girl", Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer of Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Davison was originally named locally as the gunman, but police have since confirmed it at a press conference this morning. 

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The incident is the first mass shooting in Britain since June 2010, when taxi driver Derrick Bird killed 12 people and injured 11 others in Cumbria.

In a statement, the force said officers were called to a “serious firearms incident” in Biddick Drive at around 6.10pm.

A spokesman said: “Following attendance at the scene, two females and two males were deceased at the scene.

“A further male, believed to be the offender, was also deceased at the scene. All are believed to have died from gunshot wounds.

“Another female treated at the scene for gunshot wounds died a short time later in hospital.”

The 23-year-old believed to be responsible reportedly grew up in the United States.

He appeared on YouTube where he spoke about how he was “defeated by life” weeks before the UK’s worst mass shooting since 2012.

Davison also made reference to being an ‘incel’.

His channel was subscribed to gun-related accounts and another named Incel TV, which features content related to “involuntary celibacy”, although in one of his videos Davison said he “wouldn’t clarify myself as an incel”.

But what exactly is an incel?

What is an ‘incel’?

An incel is an abbreviation of “involuntary celibate”.

The online subculture involves men who express hostility and extreme resentment towards those who are sexually active, particularly women.

Those who identify as an incel belong to an internet subculture of people who are unable to find a romantic partner despite wanting one.

Discussions on online forums are often rife with talk of resentment, hatred, self-loathing, racism and misogyny.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) and American non-profit described the subculture as “part of an online male supremacist exosystem”.

At least seven mass murders resulting in 56 deaths have been committed by men connected to the incel community since 2014.