Hero mum’s incredible act to save child before being killed in Bristol ‘grenade attack’

Joanne Shaw was killed in a suspected grenade blast at her Bristol home after allegedly sending a child outside to play on the trampoline moments before – an act said to have saved the youngster’s life

The woman tragically killed in a devastating explosion in Bristol died a hero, having sent a child into the garden just moments before the blast.

A neighbour revealed how Joanne Shaw, 35, told the youngster to play on the trampoline outside when a heated argument broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Stuart Blanchard, who resides a few doors away, said: “I spoke to the guy who called 999 and he said the child was out on the trampoline. It will haunt [them]. She probably told [the child] to go out there to get out of the way of them arguing. I was woken to her [Joanne] shouting ‘go away, go away’ and then there was this loud boom that shook my door and windows.”

His comments came shortly after Avon and Somerset Police identified Joanne and her ex-partner Ryan Kelly, 41, as the two victims. The force confirmed the couple had a history of domestic incidents and had referred itself to the police watchdog, reports the Mirror.

Kelly, 41, previously convicted for his role in a Breaking Bad-style drugs gang, is alleged to have arrived at Joanne’s home with a grenade and detonated it on the doorstep.

Neighbour Stuart added: “The partner’s [Kelly’s] gone there in a mental state. It wasn’t Jo’s house, it was her parent’s, she just lived there. She had split up with him and I think she moved there to escape from him.”

He added: “Another friend said he saw the police giving Jo CPR but when the explosives team arrived they had to leave in case there were more explosions. It was awful for them. I used to see Jo most mornings when I was walking the dog, she was a lovely woman.”

Police raced to the terraced house in the Frenchay area of Bristol at 06:17am on Sunday morning, following reports of a domestic incident. The blast occurred just after 06:30am.

A friend of Joanne’s mother told the Mirror she instinctively knew the explosion was connected to Ryan Kelly. “I’m afraid I just knew it had to be him because of what’s gone on with him before,” she said.

“I haven’t spoken to my friend since it happened and I can’t begin to think how she’s coping with this. It’s just terrible when bad men do bad things.

“She [Joanne] was the loveliest, kindest lady and she didn’t deserve this. The family doesn’t deserve it. I shouldn’t think they’ll ever want to come and live back here. [Joanne and Ryan’s] relationship wasn’t good – I don’t know why he would have done such a terrible thing.”

Neighbour Michael Gwyther, who recognised Kelly, said: “I just heard a blast, I thought someone was trying to kick through the door. They have been quiet recently. It was frightening and it set the dog right off.”

Another local, Kwestan Ahmed, added: “I heard screaming and shouting’ but I’m not sure if it was them or the police. I thought the bang was a car crash, I’d never never think it could be a bomb.” Kelly was jailed for five years in 2015 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine for a crystal meth operation orchestrated by a 78 year old cancer sufferer.

The court proceedings revealed how the pensioner controlled the scheme from behind bars despite his condition and enlisted a self-taught chemist to establish a laboratory and produce the highly addictive substance crystal meth.

He assembled a nationwide network, which included Kelly, who secured a kilogram of cocaine and intended to flog it for £60,000 to purchase chemicals and equipment from the Netherlands required to manufacture the drugs.

The case drew comparisons to American television series Breaking Bad, where secondary school chemistry teacher Walter White begins producing crystal meth to generate funds following his lung cancer diagnosis. However, unlike the fictional storyline, the real-life conspiracy was thwarted before operations could commence after undercover officers planted surveillance devices in their vehicles.

Avon and Somerset Police 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.”