{"id":969950,"date":"2026-05-19T01:29:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T01:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/969950\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T01:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T01:29:41","slug":"devoted-mum-killed-in-bristol-house-explosion-died-from-blast-injuries-inquest-hears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/969950\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Devoted mum’ killed in Bristol house explosion died from blast injuries, inquest hears"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jo Shaw and her former partner Ryan Kelly were killed in the deliberate explosion earlier this month Rod Minchin, Press Association<\/strong> and Jamie Hawkins<\/strong><\/a> Deputy Head of News (South West) <\/p>\n

10:29, 18 May 2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Joanne, ‘Jo’ Shaw(Image: Supplied by the family \/ Avon and Somerset Police)<\/p>\n

A woman who was killed in an explosion at her home died from \u201cpenetrating fragmentation blast injuries\u201d, an inquest heard.<\/p>\n

Jo Shaw, 35, was killed in the blast in Sterncourt Road in Bristol on May 3, in which her former partner, Ryan Kelly, 41, suffered fatal injuries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avon and Somerset Police<\/a> are treating the cause of the explosion as deliberate, and recorded Ms Shaw\u2019s death as a homicid<\/a>e. The force is not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.<\/p>\n

Three other people, including a child, sustained minor injuries.<\/p>\n

An inquest into her death was opened by assistant Avon coroner Debbie Rookes during a brief hearing at Avon Coroner\u2019s Court in Flax Bourton.<\/p>\n

Coroner\u2019s officer Abigail Carey told the hearing Ms Shaw was pronounced dead at home by paramedics at 7am, shortly after the incident.<\/p>\n

\"Floral<\/p>\n

Floral tributes left at a house on Sterncourt Road(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach Plc)<\/p>\n

\u201cPolice and emergency services attended her home address following activation of an explosive device,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA short form post-mortem report from Dr Russell Delaney gives a proposed cause of death as penetrating fragmentation blast injury to the chest and pelvis.\u201d<\/p>\n

The court heard Ms Shaw, who was single and who worked as a personal assistant, was formally identified by her family.<\/p>\n

Ms Rookes formally adjourned proceedings and requested further reports from a general practitioner, the police, ambulance service and pathologist.<\/p>\n

She also requested further background information from Ms Shaw\u2019s family, who were not present at the hearing.<\/p>\n

Adjourning the hearing, the coroner said: \u201cThe file will be reviewed by a coroner on July 20 and I will provisionally list this matter for an inquest hearing here at Avon Coroner\u2019s Court on August 11 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Police van in front of a property in Sterncourt Road (Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach Plc)<\/p>\n

Ms Shaw\u2019s family said in a tribute<\/a>: \u201cJoanne brought warmth, kindness, and strength into the lives of countless people.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer loving presence will be missed more than words can ever express, but her memory will forever remain in our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cHer child has suffered the unimaginable loss of their mummy in this tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoanne\u2019s love for her child was boundless, and the centre of her world. She was a devoted and loving mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoanne\u2019s actions were nothing short of heroic. She showed extraordinary strength, selflessness, and love in the face of unimaginable fear, placing herself between danger and those she loved.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe will always be remembered not for the violence inflicted upon her, but for her bravery, her protective instinct, and the ultimate sacrifice she made for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask for privacy at this deeply difficult time as we mourn our tragic loss. Joanne will always be in our memories, our thoughts, and our hearts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love you forever, sweetheart. Mummy, I miss you and love you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jo<\/p>\n

Jo Shaw (Image: Facebook)<\/p>\n

Ms Shaw, known as Jo, grew up in the Stapleton area of Bristol where her family said she was well-known for her \u201cbubbly, friendly personality\u201d.<\/p>\n

They said she loved meeting new people, listening to their stories, sharing advice and forming connections resulting in \u201ceternal friendships\u201d.<\/p>\n

She was the \u201clife and soul not only of the party, but our lives\u201d, they added.<\/p>\n

Police previously said a call was received from a person inside the house at 6.17am reporting a domestic-related incident, saying a man they knew had forced entry to the house.<\/p>\n

The caller remained on the line while officers were dispatched to the house, and at 6.30am the caller told police the man was believed to be in possession of an explosive device.<\/p>\n

About two minutes later there was an explosion at the property, in which Ms Shaw and her former partner died.<\/p>\n

Officers arrived at the property at 6.34am and fire and ambulance services shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n

Residents were evacuated from neighbouring properties as a precaution, and searches were carried out by the Army to ensure the area was safe.<\/p>\n

Searches also took place at an address in Speedwell where Mr Kelly lived. No evacuations were required at that location.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jo Shaw and her former partner Ryan Kelly were killed in the deliberate explosion earlier this month Rod…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":944672,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8818],"tags":[17542,381,748,393,27238,4884,16,15],"class_list":["post-969950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bristol","tag-armed-forces","tag-bristol","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-frenchay","tag-great-britain","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116598655645109286","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=969950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/969950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/944672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=969950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=969950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=969950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}