One neighbour said she was ‘escaping’ from her ex-partner
Jo Shaw (Image: Facebook)
The death of a woman who was killed in a house explosion in Bristol has been ruled as a homicide, police have said.
Jo Shaw, 35, was killed in the blast at a property on Sterncourt Road, Frenchay, on Sunday morning, along with her former partner, a convicted ex-drug gang member, Ryan Kelly.
Neighbours of Jo said Kelly, 41, arrived at Ms Shaw’s family home carrying what they described as a “grenade”, which then detonated, killing them both.
Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that officers had previously received a call from someone inside the property at 6.17am reporting a domestic-related incident. The caller stated that a man known to them had forced his way into the house.
Around 6.30am, the caller informed police that the man was “believed to be in possession of an explosive device” and roughly two minutes later, an explosion tore through the property.
Police confirmed the first officers arrived at 6.34am, with fire and ambulance crews attending shortly afterwards.
While formal identification is yet to be complete, police believe the woman to be Ms Shaw, who resided at the address, and the man to be her ex-partner, Ryan Kelly.
Three other people, including the person who made the initial call, sustained minor injuries.
Neighbour Stuart Blanchard told the Mirror: “The partner’s gone there in a mental state. It wasn’t Jo’s house, it was her parent’s, she just lived there.
“She had split up with him and I think she moved there to escape from him. She had been complaining to the police for some time before this incident and he had been harassing her.”, reports the Mirror.
“I’d heard the shouting before while having breakfast, something like ‘get out, get out’, but there’s something every week in this area so I didn’t go out.”
Mr Blanchard revealed he subsequently heard a “bang”, which he said “shook” his front door. “I thought it was a gas explosion so stayed inside. I’ve heard it was a hand grenade,” he added.
Superintendent Matt Ebbs said: “We know people will be shocked and upset to learn of the horrendous events that happened on Sunday morning.
“Jo’s death has been officially recorded as a homicide based on the information known to us at this time. We are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.
Jo Shaw (Image: Facebook)
“We know everyone’s thoughts and sympathies will be with her devastated family. Specially-trained officers are providing them with updates and support.
“We recognise there is significant interest in what happened, but at the centre of it there are many people grieving and we would please ask everyone respects that and gives them the privacy they want.”
Working in conjunction with Bristol City Council, officers evacuated neighbouring properties as a precautionary measure, with a temporary rest centre subsequently established for those affected.
The Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and specialist police officers conducted extensive searches to ensure the area was safe before the cordon was reduced on Sunday night, allowing almost all residents to return home.
Officers also searched a property in Speedwell connected to Mr Kelly over the bank holiday weekend, with no evacuations deemed necessary at that address.
Ryan Kelly(Image: Police handout)
Mr Ebbs added: “Police activity continues to be carried out at the property in Sterncourt Road and we expect this will take several days to be completed.
“We will share all details of our enquiries with the coroner so they can make a final determination around how the deaths occurred in due course.
“Officers remain in the area and people can speak to them if they have concerns they wish to discuss with us.
“Finally, we would like to reiterate our thanks to emergency services, other agencies and volunteers for their support over the weekend.
“This remains a challenging and complex incident, and we are ensuring our officers and staff have access to any support they need.”
Supt Ebbs also paid tribute to the emergency services, partner agencies and volunteers for their assistance throughout the weekend, describing it as a “challenging and complex enquiry”.
Officers confirmed that their Professional Standards Department will be required to refer the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), given that the deaths occurred following prior police involvement, including earlier domestic incidents that had been reported to the force before Sunday.