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<\/p>\nSammi Lee was best friends with mum killed in explosion<\/p>\n
15:30, 06 May 2026<\/p>\n
![\"Jo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_AMR_060526_JoShawTribute.jpg\")
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Jo Shaw (L) and Sammi Lee were friends for 20 years(Image: Sammi Lee)<\/p>\n
A best friend of Jo Shaw<\/a> has paid an emotional tribute to someone who brought \u2018light into the lives of everyone\u2019 she encountered.<\/p>\n Ryan Kelly, 35-year-old Jo\u2019s former partner, killed her and himself when he forced his way into an address in Frenchay in the early hours of May 3 before detonating an explosive.<\/p>\n Sammi Lee, a friend of Jo\u2019s for two decades, said she was struggling to come to terms with losing someone who had been at her side \u2018no matter what\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even know where to begin, because no words will ever feel enough for what I\u2019ve lost, for what we\u2019ve all lost,\u201d Sammi said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 20 years Jo was more than just my best friend, she was my person, my sister. She was there through every stage of my life, every laugh, every tear, every moment that mattered. She knew me in a way no one else ever could and I knew I could always count on her no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n Sammi was more than just one of Jo\u2019s best friends, she is godmother to the five-year-old son she shared with Kelly, a child who has now lost both his parents. In turn, Jo had been present for the birth of Sammi\u2019s first daughter.<\/p>\n \u201cJo wasn\u2019t just part of my life, she was part of my family,\u201d Sammi said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was there when my first daughter Sienna was born, standing beside me in one of the most important moments of my life. That\u2019s the kind of friend she was: always there, no matter what, sharing in my biggest moments and holding me up when I needed her most.<\/p>\n \u201cHer family became my family too. They welcomed me with open arms and treated me like one of their own. This loss is not only heart-breaking for me, but for them as well\u2014just such beautiful, kind people who did not deserve this pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Jo and Sammi first met when they were 15, and the pair immediately became inseparable, growing up together in the Fishponds and Frenchay areas of Bristol. Sammi said the thing that struck her most about Jo was her caring nature, with Jo taking the time to care for Sammi\u2019s sister after she was diagnosed with cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cShe lit up every room she walked into,\u201d Sammi said.<\/p>\n \u201cHer energy was so bright and colourful, and people were naturally drawn to her, she made friends wherever she went. She had the kind of heart that people don\u2019t come across often; kind, loyal, funny, and selfless, even when life wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n \u201cShe brought light into my life and into the lives of everyone lucky enough to know her. She was truly irreplaceable. I\u2019m struggling to comprehend how someone so full of love and kindness could be taken in such a cruel way.\u201d<\/p>\n Avon & Somerset Police are still investigating the exact circumstances of Jo\u2019s death, but it has been recorded as a homicide. Three other people, including a child<\/a>, were injured in the horrific incident but were treated and released from hospital on the day it occurred.<\/p>\n