Spree killer Jake Davison’s father tried to avoid having a shotgun and firearms license due to fears for his mental health, a pre-inquest review found.
Mark Davison told Plymouth senior coroner Ian Arrow that he had contacted Devon and Cornwall Police with concerns about his son and his unstable family life.
Davison, 22, killed his mother Maxine, 51, after an argument and then shot and killed four others during a 12-minute attack in Plymouth.
Three-year-old Sophie Martyn; her father, Lee, 43; Stephen Washington, 59; and Kate Shepherd, 66, all died on the evening of August 12 last year in the Keyham area of the city.
Mark Davison, father of killer Jake Davison (pictured), told senior Plymouth coroner Ian Arrow that he had contacted Devon and Cornwall police with concerns about his son and his unstable family life
The student crane operator then turned the pump-action shotgun on himself before armed officers reached him.
The killings took place just weeks after the shotgun and license were returned to him by Devon and Cornwall Police.
They had been seized in 2020 after Davison assaulted two teenagers in a park.
He had applied for a shotgun certificate in July 2017 and after the application was processed, he was issued a certificate valid for five years in January 2018.
At a pre-inquiry hearing at the Plymouth Coroner’s Court, arrangements were made for the inquest to resume next year on 17 January at Exeter Racecourse.
Inquiry counsel Bridget Dolan KC told the hearing that Mr Davison has a friend who was present when he called Devon and Cornwall Police with his concerns about his son.
Davison, 22, killed his mother Maxine, 51, after an argument and then shot and killed four others during a 12-minute attack in Plymouth
The trainee crane operator then turned the pump-action shotgun on himself before armed officers reached him (Photo: CCTV showing Jake Davison in the midst of his killing spree)
Maxine, Jake Davison’s mother, was the first to be killed. She and other family members allegedly begged the police and the NHS to help him with mental health problems
Adopted Sophie Martyn, 3, and her father Lee, 43, (pictured left) were randomly shot by Jake Davison. Lee’s wife Becky is pictured at right. Witnesses told how Lee died trying to protect his daughter from the shooter
Jake Davison then moved on to a nearby wooded area where he shot and killed dog walker Stephen Washington, 59 (above)
Kate Shepherd, 66, was Davison’s latest victim and was shot by Blush hair salon in Plymouth
The court heard that an investigator from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) intends to obtain a statement from Mr Davison’s friend.
Mr Davison told the hearing: ‘I would like to say that when I initially called the Devon and Cornwall police and tried to stop the shotgun license by telling them I didn’t think Jake was stable or living in a stable house, etc ., as I said earlier.
‘My friend was there, and he’s the one who’s willing to say he witnessed me say such things and was also reported to Devon and Cornwall Police to confirm what I’m saying.’
The IOPC has previously launched a criminal investigation into the Firearms Licensing Department of Devon and Cornwall Police.
As part of the investigation, two members of staff have been issued notices for gross misconduct, while one officer has been issued a notice.
Davison’s use of social media suggested an obsession with “incel” culture, meaning “involuntarily celibate,” as well as an interest in guns and the US.
Reports have suggested that Davison’s mother struggled to get help for her son as she began to worry about his mental health.
It was learned at an earlier hearing that she reported him to the Prevent counter-terrorism program.
Davison first killed his own mother, Maxine, in her home nearby, before going out and randomly killing schoolgirl Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, and dog walker Stephen Washington. He then crossed a road to a hair salon where he shot and fatally wounded 66-year-old Kate Shepherd