Woman, 35, killed in Bristol house explosion minutes after ‘man forced entry’
A deadly house explosion in Bristol that killed two people occurred minutes after a man “forced his way into” a home, police say.
Jo Shaw, 35, died in an explosion at her home in Bristol on Sunday morning, while her former partner Ryan Kelly, 41, also died from fatal injuries.
Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to a domestic incident just minutes before the incident.
At 6:17 a.m., police received a call from a person at the home saying a man they knew had broken into the home.
Multiple dual-crew units were initially dispatched to the address and the caller remained on the line. Two minutes later, an explosion occurred at the facility.
The caller at around 6:30 a.m. said the man was believed to have explosives.
The first officers arrived at the property at 6.34am and were soon joined by fire brigade and ambulance crews.
He will be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority for domestic incidents which have been previously reported.
Three people, including a child, were slightly injured in the incident at a house on Sterncourt Road.
Inspector Matt Ebbs said: “Jo’s death has been officially recorded as a murder based on the information we know at this time. We are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.”
“We would like to reassure the public that there is not believed to be a wider risk to security and this is not being treated as terrorism-related.
“As we stated before, we think the explosion was intentional. Analysis of the explosive material has not been completed yet.”
Officers worked with Bristol City Council to evacuate people staying in neighboring properties and set up a temporary recreation center as a precaution.
Extensive searches were carried out by the Army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and specialist police officers to ensure the area was safe before the cordon was tightened on Sunday night and almost all residents were allowed to return to their homes.
A search for an address linked to Mr Kelly in Speedwell ended over the bank holiday weekend. There was no need to evacuate in that area.
Supt Ebbs added: “Police activity continues at the property in Sterncourt Road and we expect this will take a number of days to complete.
“We would like to reassure the public that there is not believed to be a wider risk to security and this is not being treated as terrorism-related.
“As we stated before, we think the explosion was intentional. Analysis of the explosive material has not been completed yet.
“We will share full details of our investigations with the coroner so they can make a final determination as to how the deaths occurred in due course.
“Officers remain in the area and people can speak to them if they have concerns they would like to discuss with us.
“Finally, we would like to reiterate our thanks to the emergency services, other organizations and volunteers for their support over the weekend. This remains a challenging and complex investigation and we are ensuring our officers and staff have access to whatever support they need.”
