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Bristol House Explosion Kills Two, Probe Sent to IOPC

5/6/2026

24 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Explosion at a house on Sterncourt Road in Bristol on Sunday killed Jo Shaw and Ryan Kelly.
Police referred the investigation to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because earlier domestic reports involved the victims.
Authorities evacuated about 70 nearby residents and opened a temporary rest centre.
Kelly had previously received a five-year sentence in 2015 for cocaine-supply conspiracy as a foot soldier in a drug gang.

History

Historical Context

Modern oversight traces back to Sir Robert Peel’s 1829 Metropolitan Police Act, which introduced a professional force, and to the 2002 Police Reform Act that created civilian complaint bodies. The Independent Police Complaints Commission, handling 2,500 complaints in its first year, was superseded by the Independent Office for Police Conduct on 8 January 2018, the authority now reviewing Bristol’s explosion case.

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Story summary

Explosion at a house on Sterncourt Road in Bristol on Sunday killed Jo Shaw and Ryan Kelly.
Police referred the investigation to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because earlier domestic reports involved the victims.
Authorities evacuated about 70 nearby residents and opened a temporary rest centre.
Kelly had previously received a five-year sentence in 2015 for cocaine-supply conspiracy as a foot soldier in a drug gang.

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