( CNN ) -- A man who was taking part in a human cannonball show in Detling , England , was fatally injured Monday when the event failed to go off as planned , Kent police said . The incident occurred in the afternoon during Scott May 's Daredevil Stunt Show at the Kent County Showground , southeast of London , police said . The British Press Association , citing police , said a safety net failed to engage . A Kent Police spokesman declined to identify the man beyond saying he was in his 20s . Relatives of the man had been informed of the mishap , but his body had not been formally identified , a police spokesman said . A statement on the Scott May website said all shows had been canceled `` until further notice . '' The stunt show , which has been touring since 1991 , features monster trucks , two-wheel driving , fire stunts and car crashes . David Smith Jr. , who holds the Guinness Book of World Records entry for distance shot from a cannon ( 59.05 meters ) , said he had not before heard the terminology about a safety net 's failure to engage , but 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 in a telephone interview . 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 .
The incident occurred during Scott May 's Daredevil Stunt Show . The Hollywood Police Club said a safety net failed during the stunt . Police have not released the victim 's name .