A small crowd gathered in Carlisle today to remember the victims of the Plymouth shooting.

The “Heart of the City” Mission Community and Carlisle City Council held the vigil in solidarity with the people of Plymouth at Green Market Cross in Carlisle at 10.55am.

A minute silence was held at 11am.

Carlisle resident, Gary Johnston, who was at the vigil today, used to live in Plymouth and still has family there now, including a daughter and granddaughter.

“Because we know the city and we have family there, we were deeply concerned”, said Gary.

“[My reaction] was just like everyone else’s. It was shock and disbelief.

“I can’t put it into words. It’s just deeply concerning and deeply upsetting.”

Gunman, Jake Davison, 22, carried out his attack in the Keyham area of Plymouth.

Davison shot his 51-year-old mother Maxine Davison, also known as Maxine Chapman, at a house in Biddick Drive before he went into the street and shot dead Sophie Martyn, aged three, and her father, Lee Martyn, 43.

In the 12-minute attack, Davison then killed Stephen Washington, 59, in a nearby park before shooting 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died at Derriford Hospital.

Irene Roberts-Green, church warden at St Cuthbert’s in Carlisle, was also present at the vigil.

She said it was a “dreadful thing to have happened”.

“People felt like they wanted to come and show their respect," she added. "It could have happened anywhere.”

The mayor of Carlisle and City Councillor, Pamela Birks was also present at the vigil and laid a wreath at the foot of the Market Cross. 

She said: “There are people that he [Davison] has left behind, there are people that he has killed and there are people who have witnessed it. 

“We understand as a small city the impact that this will have had on Plymouth and we’re sending our thoughts and condolences to them. 

“The complexities of some of our laws need to be looked at.

“Does someone really need a gun unless it’s a farmer looking after livestock, or a member of a rifle club?”

In 2010, Derrick Bird,59, shot and killed12 people, and injured 11 more in the west of Cumbria before turning the gun on himself.