LONDON — This week, a London police officer who was acquitted of murder in the case involving the death of a Black motorist was revealed to have been a member of a violent gang. Court records, made public on Tuesday, indicated that the motorist, Chris Kaba, was involved in a gang-related shooting just a week prior to his death. Jurors were not informed of Kaba’s gang affiliations during the trial, which concluded on Monday with Sgt. Martyn Blake being declared not guilty in the Central Criminal Court.
Kaba, 24, was fatally shot on September 5, 2022, following a police pursuit where he allegedly rammed police vehicles during a traffic stop. At the time, officers were unaware of the vehicle’s driver, but Kaba was in an Audi Q8 that had been implicated as a getaway vehicle in a shooting that took place the previous night. Blake fired a single shot through the car’s windshield, claiming he perceived a grave threat to the lives of his fellow officers; Kaba was later found unarmed.
Prosecutors justified their decision to charge Blake, a rare action against a British police officer for a fatality occurring in the line of duty. They contended during the trial that Blake misread the level of danger to his colleagues, overestimated the threat after the shooting, and intentionally aimed for Kaba’s head. Blake, however, refuted these claims. The presiding judge had previously ruled that Kaba’s criminal history and alleged involvement in prior shootings were not pertinent for the jury to consider when determining whether Blake acted with excessive force. Hence, Justice James Goss initially prohibited media coverage of these details.
After the trial, media organizations contested this order, leading to Goss lifting the restrictions and allowing the information collected in earlier proceedings to be disclosed. The Metropolitan Police supported this release as part of efforts to clarify Kaba’s character and possibly mitigate violent reactions against police officers, especially with an annual demonstration approaching in London commemorating those who have died in police custody. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy expressed that disclosing Kaba’s character would reduce support for those aiming to incite anti-police violence, thereby decreasing the overall risk to public safety.
Helen Lumuanganu, Kaba’s mother, had urged the court to postpone the release of these details pending a public inquest into her son’s death, which could be delayed for years. Meanwhile, a peaceful protest occurred outside the Old Bailey courthouse on Monday night, where demonstrators chanted for justice for Kaba. In a statement, his family expressed their determination to continue fighting for justice, emphasizing that Chris’s life was significant and deserving of acknowledgment.
Prior information from earlier trials suggested that Kaba shot a rival gang member on the dance floor of a nightclub on August 30 and pursued the victim outside, where he shot him again before fleeing. The car Kaba was driving at the time of his death had not only transported him to the nightclub but was also linked to a separate shooting in May. His criminal record included prior convictions for violence and knife possession, and he had served several prison sentences, including four years in 2017 for having an imitation firearm. Kaba, who had aspirations as a rapper and was soon to be a father, was reportedly facing a court order intended to restrict gang-related activities at the time of his death.
Shootings by police in the U.K. are infrequent; official statistics reveal that in the year leading up to March 2023, authorized officers in England and Wales discharged their firearms at individuals ten times, resulting in three fatalities. The incident has intensified ongoing allegations of racism against the Metropolitan Police, which has been working to restore public trust following numerous scandals and an independent investigation highlighting systemic sexism, homophobia, and racism within the organization.
The decision to charge Blake sparked significant backlash from some of his colleagues on the firearms unit, leading them to refuse to carry weapons in a show of solidarity. This prompted the Metropolitan Police to temporarily rely on assistance from surrounding departments and military support. The union representing the Metropolitan Police officers commended the lifting of reporting restrictions related to Kaba’s gang involvement and argued that Blake should never have faced a trial.