( CNN ) -- Police have launched an investigation into the death of a 23-year-old man who was killed in a human cannonball stunt gone awry in England , they said Tuesday . The incident occurred during Scott May 's Daredevil Stunt Show at a Kent County showground southeast of London . A man who apparently was fired from a cannon died on Monday after a safety net failed to work , a police statement said . All daredevil stunt shows have been cancelled pending the outcome of the police investigation , the statement said . `` My officers will be looking into this tragic incident to try and establish what happened , '' acting chief inspector Steve Griffith said . Health and safety officials from a local government council also are part of the investigation , Griffith said . `` We need to understand why this poor man died so that we can take the appropriate steps , '' he said . The victim 's parents have been notified , police said , but his body has not been formally identified and so authorities are not releasing his identify . The stunt show has been touring since 1991 . It features monster trucks , two-wheel driving , fire stunts and car crashes . `` Scott and the team are still reeling with shock and grief over the loss of their colleague and fellow stunt performer in the tragic accident at the show yesterday afternoon , '' the show said on its website `` Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time . '' David Smith , Jr. , who holds the Guinness Book of World Records entry for distance shot from a cannon -- 59.05 meters , or nearly 194 feet -- said he had not before heard the terminology about a safety net 's failure to engage . He also said careful planning can make the shots less dangerous . Smith , 33 , whose father taught the stunt to his seven children , has been ejected from the barrel of a cannon some 5,000 times . It can be nerve-wracking , the record-holder said , but should not prove disastrous . `` We 've never had a cannon not fire or miss a net , and I mean we 're talking tens of thousands of cannon shots combined between us all , '' he told CNN . After 14 years of taking his act across around the world , `` I feel that my cannon shots are probably safer than me driving to the next show -- because I control my environment and I control my equipment . '' Still , he acknowledged , `` We 've had some broken bones and stuff . '' He expressed condolences to the family of the man who died . CNN 's Tom Watkins contributed to this report .
Police have launched an investigation into the death of a daredevil who died Monday . The incident occurred during Scott May 's Daredevil Stunt Show in England . Police say a safety net failed during the stunt . All daredevil stunt shows have been cancelled pending the outcome of the investigation .