Plymouth shooting: Emergency crews share their experiences

Emergency service responders called to a mass shooting in Plymouth where five people were killed, tell the BBC about their experiences on the evening of the attack on 12 August 2021.

Two of the first officers at the scene, PC Zachary Printer and PC Graham Temple, were waved down by members of the public in Keyham, at 18:16 BST.

Both gave medical attention to one victim Kate Shepherd.

As PC Printer, a former firearms officer, did so outside a shop in Henderson Place, he saw a figure enter the street with a shotgun.

"As soon as I saw him [the gunman], I knew I would have to do something to protect the public," he said.

"I shouted to him to stand still so he didn't advance any further. I started to run towards him."

This was when gunman Jake Davison took his own life with the weapon.

'My job to protect'

Davison killed his mother Maxine, 51, Sophie Martyn, three, her father Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Ms Shepherd, 66.

PC Printer, a former Royal Marine, said he was "just a small cog in a big team".

"It wasn't just me at the scene. Yes I went towards Davison but there were so many other police officers that were there that day and did amazing things."

He added: "I'd do it again. It's my job to protect the public, protect the vulnerable. And if it wasn't me, it would be another police officer."

The officer was thanked for his "extraordinary bravery" at an inquest into the victims' deaths held over a five-week period.

"I had to confront him to protect the public," PC Printer told an inquest.

"To do that, I had to become the focus of attention in his eyes."

Mark Dodwell was working on the day of the shooting for the ambulance service

Mark Dodwell, operational commander for South Western Ambulance Service, was one of the paramedics who attended the scene.

He said when he arrived at Henderson Place he heard shots.

"I heard over the radio the person had a gun," he said.

"It was a bit surreal really. This doesn't happen every day. We don't have a big gun culture down here, I didn't really think much about it.

"What went through my mind was should we be here or shouldn't we?"

"At that time you also had to consider, was it one person or two people. Is there another person hanging round the corner?"

Ceri Smart was the strategic commander on shift on the day of the shootings, and was based in Bristol.

He said incidents involving guns were "incredibly rare".

Ceri Smart was based in Bristol on the day of the shooting

He said the "team effort kicked in almost immediately" as events unfolded.

"My biggest fear was ensuring the safety of everyone and being so far away that was probably personally the biggest weight on my mind in the first 30 minutes," he said.

"I'm incredibly proud of everyone that responded in every way."