POLICE say the two people who died in an explosion in Frenchay on Sunday were a woman and her ex-partner, who had gone to her house with an “explosive device”.
Jo Shaw, aged 35, and her 41-year-old ex Ryan Kelly both died in the blast at a house (above) in Sterncourt Road, Frenchay.
Police say they are treating Ms Shaw’s death as a homicide, and are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.
The explosion also injured two other adults and a child at the house. They were treated in hospital and released later that day.
Avon & Somerset Constabulary is referring itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the incident, because the force had previously received complaints of domestic incidents from Ms Shaw.
‘Explosive device’
Police released a statement with more details on the incident today, which said: “We received a call from a person inside the property at 6.17am reporting a domestic-related incident.
“They stated a man, who they knew, had forced entry to the house.
“Several double-crewed units were initially dispatched to the address and the caller remained on the line.
“At approximately 6.30am, the caller told us the man was believed to be in possession of an explosive device.
“Around two minutes later an explosion occurred at the property.
“The first officers arrived at the property at 6.34am and were joined by the fire and ambulance services shortly afterwards.
“The man involved, and a woman at the property, died from injuries sustained during the incident.
“Although the formal identification process has not yet been completed, we believe the woman to be 35-year-old Jo Shaw who lived at the address in Sterncourt Road, and the man to be her 41-year-old former partner, Ryan Kelly.”
Police remained at the house, which is on a quiet square off Froomshaw Road, near Begbrook Green Park, today. A ground floor window was boarded up and the house was taped off, although earlier cordons around other homes had been removed.
A spokesperson was unable to confirm claims that the explosion was caused by a hand grenade, saying that analysis of the device was still underway.
Family is ‘devastated’
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.
“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.
“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 would like to reassure the public there is not believed to be any wider risk to safety and this is not being treated as terrorism-related.
“As previously stated, we believe the cause of the explosion to be deliberate. Analysis work of the explosive device has not yet been 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.”
Evacuation
Immediately after the incident police worked with Bristol City Council to evacuate people from neighbouring homes while searches were carried out by the Army’s explosive ordnance disposal team and specialist police officers to ensure the area was safe.
Temporary rest centres were set up, first at the nearby Snuff Mills Harvester and then at the Stapleton & Begbrook Club, in nearby Frenchay Park Road.
A house in Speedwell linked to Kelly was searched but no evacuations were needed.
He is reported to have previously served a five-year prison sentence for conspiring to supply cocaine.
Police also searched a car parked next to Five Acre Drive in nearby Begbrook as part of their investigation.