"Angry Over No Girlfriend" Gunman Kills 5 in Shooting Incident in Youngseo

Flowers laid in mourning for the victims at the Plymouth shooting scene.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Attention has been drawn to content that may help infer the motive of a suspect who killed five people in a mass shooting in the UK before taking his own life.

On the 12th (local time), Jake Davidson (22) shot and killed five people in Plymouth, Devon, in the southwest of England. After shooting his mother, Maxine Davidson (51), he ran outside and killed a total of five people, including a three-year-old girl and her father. The attack lasted about six minutes, after which Davidson took his own life.

On the 13th, BBC and other media reported that British police consider the incident to be the sole act of Davidson and are not looking for other suspects. Investigations revealed that Davidson had no connections with far-right groups or others, and the police suspect the crime is unrelated to terrorism.

The police then began investigating the motive through his social networking services (SNS). He was found to have posted pessimistic videos online, including statements like "I have lost in life." He also expressed negative views about his inability to have a girlfriend and made immoral remarks about single mothers, including his own mother.

A memorial gathering is being held on the 3rd (local time) in Plymouth, Devon, UK, for those killed by Jake Davidson.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

BBC added an explanation about "incels" while reporting on Davidson's crime. The term "incel" is a combination of "involuntary," meaning unwilling, and "celibate," meaning someone who does not have sexual relations. Incels are known to blame women for their sexual failures and are often involved in violent behavior. Davidson is also presumed to have been an incel.

Meanwhile, these incels have raised concerns by committing various crimes or glorifying the actions of criminals. Examples include Elliot Rodger, who killed six people in California, USA, in 2014, and Ben Mohinhan, who stabbed three women to death in Portsmouth, UK, the same year. In incel online communities, there is a trend of praising those who commit such acts as "heroes."

In response, Tim Wilson, director of the Terrorism and Political Violence Research Centre at the University of St Andrews, emphasized, "Even those who are not members of the incel community can be influenced by their ideology," adding, "This is especially likely among teenagers."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.