A police watchdog group in the UK is investigating why a local department failed to prosecute a man for assault, and even returned his shotgun, despite multiple warning signs of his potential for danger, according to reports.
Jake Davison, 22, is accused of shooting five people dead last week, including his mother.
Davison was a legal shotgun owner who had his weapon confiscated after he admitted to a December attack against two teenagers in a Plymouth park.
He was never prosecuted for the attack. Instead, he completed a four-month program meant to reduce the risk of recidivism. Police returned his weapon to him on July 9.
Just a month later he shot and killed his mother, Maxine, 51, and four other people before turning the weapon on himself. Davison reportedly argued with his mother before shooting her in the head, according to Sky News. Lee Martyn, 43, daughter Sophie Martyn, 3, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, were also killed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the Devon and Cornwall police department’s decision to “divert Davison from prosecution for the assaults” and return his firearm, reports the Guardian.
The investigation is also looking into Davison’s mental condition. He had posted on social media that he went to see a doctor to address “mood problems” and “panic” just two weeks before the murder.
He also revealed on social media a hatred for women and homosexuals and an interest in the “involuntary celibate” movement, in which men blame women for their loneliness, the Guardian reports.
The IOPC is investigating if proper laws and protocols were followed given the many warning signs and the lack of prosecution for the earlier crime.
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