Six people were killed in a mass shooting in Plymouth, southwest England, on Thursday evening, including a toddler, in an act termed as “shocking” by the British Home Secretary.

Two ladies and three males, including the perpetrator, died at the site of the shooting from gunshot wounds, according to the Devon and Cornwall Police. A second woman died in hospital a short time later, according to the authorities.

According to Luke Pollard, a local politician from the opposition Labor Party, one of those killed was a youngster under the age of ten.

The gunfire had been described as a “severe firearms incident” by police, who stated the situation had been contained. The incident, according to the authorities, had nothing to do with terrorism.

The UK has one of the lowest rates of gun homicide in the world, and major shootings are uncommon. This was the country’s first mass shooting in 11 years.

Sharron Turner, 57, who lives behind the scene of the shooting, was quoted by The Times newspaper as saying that a gunman had “kicked in” the front door of a semi-detached house before shooting a mother and her daughter. Turner said she had been told that the man, who was dressed in black and grey, was armed with a semi-automatic weapon.

After the attack, the gunman escaped through a park behind the house and shot two dog walkers, The Times reported.

“The incident in Plymouth is shocking and my thoughts are with those affected,” Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Twitter.

Devon and Cornwall Police said they were called to the Keyham area of the city at 6.10 p.m. on Thursday.

“Investigations are continuing into the incident and disruption to the road network in the Keyham area will remain throughout the night,” the police said.

The South Western Ambulance Service earlier said it had responded to the incident with a significant number of resources, including Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART), multiple ambulances, air ambulances, multiple doctors and senior paramedics.