A one-minute silence has been held to remember the five victims of the mass shooting in Plymouth
People across the UK were invited by the city council to observe the silence at 11:00 BST. In Plymouth, people gathered outside the city’s Guildhall.
Maxine Davison, 51, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, were killed in the attack on Thursday, along with father and daughter Lee Martyn, 43, and Sophie Martyn, three.
Lord Mayor of Plymouth Terri Beer, who spoke outside the Guildhall before the silence, said: “I know that many people across the country and the world will also be taking a moment to reflect on the dreadful loss that has been suffered in our community.
“I know Plymouth is a place where people stand together during dark times.
“I hope and believe that we will get through the difficult times that lie ahead as we try to come to terms with the dreadful loss by continuing to support each other.”
It was a very loving and sombre occasion.
People were hushed and standing in reflection and thoughtfulness even before Lord Mayor Terri Beer spoke and the silence began, with Mrs Beer talking about Plymouth being together.
This comes after British forces going back into Afghanistan is “not on the cards”, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has now said. Mr Wallace said it was not yet the right time to decide on whether to recognise the Taliban as the Afghan government.
The chairman of Keyham Neighbourhood Watch, Kevin Sproston, spoke eloquently about the community pulling together.
He said people wished for the respect of national media to go forward and allow the community to grieve.
Mr Sproston said there would be dark days in the future, but, hopefully, the city would come out the other side.
Speaking afterwards, Kevin Sproston, from Keyham Neighbourhood Watch, said: “At the moment Keyham is grieving. We grieve because we love. Grief is love. We are in shock, feel guilty and angry about the events surrounding our beloved community members’ deaths because we love.
“And it is that love and energy that we can now use to bring about change.
“As a community we look to rebuild and restore together. Collectively we will support each other and with help bring back a community that we want our children to inherit.”
Councillor Nick Kelly, leader of Plymouth City Council, who also observed the minute’s silence outside the Guildhall, said: “As a city we need to honour and respect those that are from our community.
“They are lives that have been taken prematurely, and hopefully something positive will come out from this, but right now, right here, it is very difficult to see beyond just the tragic loss.”
Police cordons have been lifted in Biddick Drive and Henderson Place in Keyham where Jake Davison shot the victims.
Flowers and letters have been left in the area over the weekend in tribute to those who died.
Police said forensic examinations would continue at 17 Biddick Drive, where Davison lived, over the coming days.
Away from the Guildhall, groups gathered in other parts of the city, including at Plymouth Hoe.
At Keyham’s North Down Crescent Park, between 50 and 70 people observed the minute’s silence together.
This comes after the first flight that has been carrying British nationals as part of efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan has arrived within the UK. But there are fears “some people won’t get back” as the chaos continues to escalate across the country.
Resident Nicky Bailey described Thursday’s events as “unfathomable”.
“You just don’t believe it will happen around here,” she said.
“Even walking around, it’s still quite eerie, and a lot of people are still scared.”
Another resident, Chris Morton, said: “It’s completely shocking and I just wanted to show some sympathy for the families involved, the victims, and those in hospital as well.”
He described Keyham as “very sombre”, but added the community had been “very respectful, very kind to each other and very compassionate”.
Local person, Tracy Cooke, said attending the minute silence felt like “the right thing to do”.
The prime minister was among those to pay their respects elsewhere in the country.
In Liverpool, traffic was held in the Mersey Tunnels, while courts and the Old Bailey in London rose to observe the silence.
