Chris Kaba was ‘core member’ of one of London‘s most dangerous gangs
A man who was shot dead by police was a ‘core member’ of one of London’s most dangerous gangs.
Chris Kaba was accused of being involved in two shootings in less than a week before he was killed by police marksman Martyn Blake, it can now be reported.
The 24-year-old was in the head through the windscreen of an Audi following a police pursuit and ‘hard stop’ by officers on September 5, 2022.
The firearms officer was found not guilty of his murder yesterday.
During the ‘hard stop’ Mr Kaba had just reversed a short distance backwards, striking the front of a police vehicle that was blocking it in, having previously attempted to drive forwards.
A firearm marker was placed on the Audi after its registration was linked to an incident the evening before in which members of the public had contacted police to report gunshots in Brixton.
Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley gave a statement outside of Scotland Yard afterwards, saying: ‘He (Blake) has acted with professionalism and dignity throughout… I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best.
‘But most of all, I worry for the public. The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime. That risks London becoming less safe.’
During the hearing, Mr Blake, 40, appeared to be briefly overcome with emotion as the jury returned its verdict.
He breathed out, puffed his cheeks and turned away in an apparent show of relief.
The family of Mr Kaba, who sat in the well of the court, sat in stony silence and made no immediate reaction.
Protests formed outside the Old Bailey yesterday following the jury’s verdict, with Mr Kaba’s family saying they are ‘devastated’ and fell ‘the deep pain of injustice’.
They said the verdict was a failure ‘for all those affected by police violence’, adding that ‘no family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced’.