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At a candlelight vigil for the five victims of the insane gunman Jake Davison, two nurses clung to each other for comfort as tears rolled down their faces.
Laura Newall and Sam Cartwright were among hundreds of mourners who gathered Friday night to share their grief and shock.
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Lee Martin and his daughter Sophie were tragically killed in the Plymouth shooting
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Becky’s mom posted a picture of the happy family just hours ago Credit: Tim Stewart
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Intensive care nurse colleagues said they were devastated ‘beautiful family’
North Down Crescent Park is in Keyham, close to the scene of the previous day’s shooting, just five miles from Derriford Hospital in Plymouth where they both operate.
It was there that the victims were transported. Tragically, they included the beloved husband and friend of Becky Martin, Lee, and their precious three-year-old girl Sophie.
Father and daughter were out for a walk and were headed home, where Sophie was pushing her pram, when Davison opened fire on them.
Lee, 43, tried desperately to protect her but the shots fired from the killer’s pump-action weapon. The husband did not have a chance.
Intensive care nurse Becky, 42, and Lee, who recently worked for Toshiba in carpentry for a yachting company, have a son, Kayden, seven.
They completed their family by adopting Sophie two years ago after a tense 15-month wait for vigorous checks.
Lee described her “game-changing” moment of her arrival and told friends on social media that Sophie was a “beautiful little girl, sassy and full of life.”
The couple loved sharing their family photos on Facebook.
Laura, 36, said: ‘Becky posted a picture on Facebook at around 2:30pm on Thursday of the kids on a day out. They looked so happy. It’s heartbreaking, it was only hours before it happened.
She worked in the pediatric ward upstairs in the hospital and was downstairs. We are a close unit and we are all in shock.
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“Don’t expect something like that to happen, to be walked in broad daylight and be killed. It’s a terrible tragedy.”
“I had to go to the vigil and pay my respects. They were a beautiful family.”
Throughout the lockdown, Becky has worked tirelessly and has been looking forward to spending more time with her family over the summer.
Another nurse who worked with Becky said: “She has spent the past year working a lot on the NHS, caring for people with Covid-19.
“She is an angel who saved many, many lives, but, first and foremost, she was a loving mother who adored her husband and two children.
“Like many NHS staff, she has had to spend a lot of time away from her family over the past year. But Becky has never complained and Lee has always been ahead.”
On Thursday, he did everything in his power to save Sophie’s life.
Don’t expect something like this to happen, to walk in broad daylight and be killed. It is a terrible tragedy.
Laura Newall
A friend said: “I was told Davison ran out of the house and then kept shooting as he walked toward Lee and Sophie.
“There was no time to answer me. But it seemed he raised his hands and tried to confront Davison, while doing his best to protect Sophie. But he didn’t have a chance.”
“It’s appalling – and the entire community is in shock. Lee was a wonderful young man and a brilliant father.
“He was always smiling and always out with the kids.
“His wife was working long hours so I had a really hands-on dad — and whenever Becky was out, they were enjoying days at the beach or walking their dog.
“I usually had his son and daughter, but the little boy went on Thursday to stay with his aunt. No need to think, but if he was there too, he might have been killed too.”
Lee was an Everton fan and before yesterday’s game against Southampton, the drinkers joined in the Anchorage pub in Plymouth – where Lee was a regular – to remember ‘a true gentleman and his wonderful daughter’.
There was also silence a minute before Plymouth Argyle’s first home game of the new season against Gillingham – with flags hoisted on the ground.
Many residents of Keyham, a Victorian suburb of Plymouth built to provide cheap, dense housing for civilian sidewalk workers, were still in shock last night.
It is home to 7,000 residents, including crane driver Davison, 22, and his victims.
Which is where his six-minute frenzy took place.
It all started at his mother Maxine’s listed home on Pedic Drive.
He shot the 51-year-old, who had just recovered from cancer. As he was leaving the impasse, he slammed Lee and Sophie.
Martyr Stephen Washington, 59
The killer then moved to Henderson Place, where he shot 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died at Dereford Hospital.
He then pointed the gun at himself before the firearms officers had a chance to confront him.
A few meters from the scene, and next to the double main road into town, the Lidl supermarket, closed as a sign of respect, has become an unexpected shrine for the dead.
Crying locals, many within reach, walked to lay out flowers, teddy bears, plus stuffed Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.
One of the many groups of sunflowers from Laura was Becky’s classmate.
It’s horrific – and the entire community is in shock. Lee was a wonderful young man and a brilliant father.
Attached was a touching message that read, “Good night, beautiful family. Me and Sophie, you shouldn’t have been taken so soon. Take care of each other. The stars will shine bright tonight.”
Another said, “May your five souls shine in the sky because these sunflowers represent you here on earth.”
Another consonant put: “Plymouth Angels. We will never forget you. May you all rest in eternal peace and love. Thoughts with family, friends and our community.”
Retired Peter Crisp drove eight miles in the area to lay flowers.
“I didn’t know them, never met them but I had to do something,” said the 78-year-old, who recently lost his wife to cancer.
“I wanted to bring flowers to show my respect. This should never have happened. We are all in utter shock in Plymouth.”
The Salvation Army and the police patrolled the area and offered words of support and sympathy.
One church – a few blocks from Lee and Becky’s house – opened a book of condolence.
Ford Elementary School became a meeting area for experts to discuss how to tell children what happened.
Becky’s friend told us, “She and me were really popular members of the community and no one could believe this happened.
“I don’t think this area will be the same again. How do you recover from something like this on your doorstep?”
Becky is a prolific fundraiser who has worked tirelessly to generate funds for the NHS and associated charities.
She has also been a supporter of the Laura Hyde Foundation, which fights to raise awareness of mental health among emergency care workers.
Now the JustGiving page has been created to raise funds for Becky. Within hours, the £1,500 target was reached.
Organizer Mark Smith wrote: “To our wonderful friend Becky and Cayden. She has been there for many of us at some point, and now we need to be there for her.”
“No words or anything we do that will make things better, but maybe we raise a little money for them, and then they can decide how to spend it. I know everyone loves Bex, so whatever you can afford would be appreciated.”
But while Becky is known in the area for her charitable work, it is now her husband who will be remembered as a hero for his desperate attempt to save the life of their young daughter.
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Laura Newall and Sam Cartwright were among hundreds of mourners at Friday’s vigilCredit: Getty
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People gather at North Down Crescent Park in Devon to pay their respects Image: AFP Priti Patel lays a bouquet of flowers near the site of a shooting in Keham
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