A police presence remains in Sterncourt Road, Bristol, following an explosion at a house on Sunday 3 May, in which two people died.
From Avon and Somerset Police:
A large amount of work has taken place over the past few days to further our understanding of what took place and we can now provide more details:
- 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.
Their families are aware of what has happened and that we are releasing this information to the public.
We can confirm a mandatory referral will be made by our Professional Standards Department to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). This is on the grounds of the deaths occurring following previous police contact, specifically other domestic incidents being reported to us prior to Sunday.
Three other people, including the person who called police, were treated for minor injuries and did not need to stay in hospital.
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.”
Officers worked with Bristol City Council to evacuate people staying in neighbouring properties as a precaution and a temporary rest centre set up.
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 reduced on Sunday night and almost all residents were allowed to return home.
A search of an address in Speedwell linked to Mr Kelly concluded over the bank holiday weekend. No evacuations were required at that location.
Supt 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 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 enquiry, and we are ensuring our officers and staff have access to any support they need.”
