Innocent or guilty? The two sides to the death of Chris Kaba

As the car turned into a narrow side street, it was blocked in by a police car approaching from the other direction, while other squad vehicles arrived behind.  

Armed officers swarmed the Audi, loudly identified themselves, and demanded the driver – Chris Kaba, a young black man – show his hands.  

Instead, Kaba turned the wheel and drove the car forward into a gap too narrow for his car to pass through, forcing officers in front to scatter.  

A police marksman shot him through the windscreen. The wound was fatal. The whole incident lasted around two minutes. Frenetic activity in the dark. 

A screengrab from body worn camera footage issued by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) during the incident where Chris Kaba was fatally shot by Martyn Blake. (Image: IOPC/PA Wire) But it was an incident which sent shockwaves through the police force and raised questions about institutional racism, and the way armed officers should act.  

This week, two years on, Metropolitan Police firearms officer Martyn Blake was found not guilty of Chris Kaba’s murder. 

Standing in the dock of the Old Bailey, smartly dressed Mr Blake, 40, appeared to be briefly overcome with emotion. 

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. 

In the aftermath of that decision, two narratives have developed, one of them based on information not made public at the trial.  

For the family of Mr Kaba, the verdict was not justice. In a statement issued by campaign group Inquest, Kaba’s family said: “Today, we are devastated. The not guilty verdict leaves us with the deep pain of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow we have felt since Chris was killed. 

“No family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced. Chris was stolen from us, and this decision shows his life — and many others like him — does not matter to the system. Our son deserved better.” 

The family said that Kaba, who had a troubled past, was a musician who had dreams of being an architect and wanted move on with his life. He was also due to be a father.  

The statement continued with an attack on the justice system, which the family felt had let them down badly.  

It said: “The acquittal of Martyn Blake isn’t just a failure for our family, but for all those affected by police violence. 

“Despite this verdict, we won’t be silenced. We are deeply grateful to everyone who stood by us and fought for justice. We will continue fighting for Chris, for justice, and for real change. Chris’ life mattered, and nothing can take that away from us.” 

Chris Kaba (Image: Family Handout/PA Wire) The verdict was at the end of a long, two-year wait, which had begun with calls for justice from Kaba’s supporters, some of them high-profile members of Parliament.  

After Mr Kaba's death, former Labour leader Mr Corbyn tweeted: “No family should have to go through the pain Chris Kaba's family have suffered following his killing last week. My thoughts are with them as they fight for justice and accountability for his death.” 

Five days later, Mr Corbyn added: 'We cannot live the pain felt by his family, but we can support them in demanding #JusticeForChrisKaba.'  

Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington was also quick to point the finger of blame, writing in the Morning Star: “As the terrible fate of Chris Kaba shows, people can lose their lives even when going about their daily lives. Defending all our fundamental human rights is crucial under this dangerous, repressive government.” 

The young man’s death was framed through the lens of that of George Floyd in the United States, who died after being restrained by white officers in 2020. 

Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck, was convicted in 2021 of his murder and sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.  

The death of George Floyd, and the subsequent conviction, was a pivotal moment for race relations in America.  

Yet it seemed not to have filtered through the UK this week. Reacting acquittal of the officer who shot Chris Kaba case outside court, Temi Mwale and Kayza Rose, of the Justice For Chris Kaba Campaign, said the verdict was “a devastating moment for the Kaba family, our community, and the nation”. 

In a statement issued through campaign group Inquest, they say: “Martyn Blake’s acquittal is painful proof that our lives are not valued by this system. 

“The fight for accountability, justice, and racial equity has spanned decades, and we honour all those who have contributed. 

“Despite today’s verdict, our commitment remains unwavering. For the Kaba family, justice was never just about a conviction – it’s about systemic change, a fight we will not abandon as a campaign. 

“This outcome reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence. 

“No one can be safe while the police can kill with impunity.” 

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But with campaigners poised to denounce the verdict, and a movement seemingly building which would keep this case in the spotlight for years, new facts emerged.  

A lifting of reporting restrictions revealed the police had good reason for tailing Chris Kaba’s car, though they did not know he was the driver.  

The young man was a “core member” of one of London’s most dangerous criminal gangs and was directly linked to two shootings in the six days before he was shot dead by police. 

The 24-year-old was said to have shot a rival in the legs at a nightclub six days before he died in September 2022, and would have stood trial for attempted murder had he survived. 

He was also found to have gunshot residue on his sleeve and a balaclava in his pocket on the night he was killed by a police marksman, which it was suggested was evidence he had been involved in a second shooting the previous night. 

He had previous convictions for possession of weapons, and the Audi that he was driving when he was killed was linked to three previous firearms incidents in five months. 

Details of his criminal background can were revealed after Mr Justice Goss lifted reporting restrictions at the Old Bailey. 

Police officers may not have known who was driving the Audi on the night Mr Kaba died, but they did know it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the night before. 

It was also linked to the Hackney nightclub shooting for which Mr Kaba would have stood trial for attempted murder. 

The prosecution case was that he had gunned down a key figure in a rival gang after spotting him at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, north London, early on August 30 2022. 

Prosecution Service (CPS) grabs from footage of Chris Kaba, who allegedly opened fire with a gun inside a busy London nightclub, chasing the victim down a street with a gun in his hand (Image: CPS/PA Wire) Footage shows him firing the gun in the crowded club and again taking aim at his victim outside, before Brandon Malutshi, a member of the rival 17 gang, collapses to the ground. 

Before Mr Blake’s trial began, his defence team had argued that the full background should be put before the jury, because the nightclub shooting explained why Mr Kaba wanted to escape police. 

Patrick Gibbs KC said Mr Kaba had been intent on getting away “at any costs no matter the danger to another person”. 

Neither the 24-year-old rapper’s gang history nor criminal record was revealed in the trial of firearms officer sergeant Mr Blake after a senior judge ruled it had no bearing on the issues for jurors to decide. 

Matt Cane, general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, welcomed Mr Justice Goss’s decision to allow reporting of Mr Kaba’s history and maintained Mr Blake should “never have stood trial”. 

“The ramifications of this case remain widespread; police officers should not have their livelihoods, and their liberty, put at risk for performing what unequivocally, in this case, was his lawful and appropriate function.” 

Police figures have questioned why the case was ever brought to court, with colleagues said to “remain astonished” that Mr Blake ever faced charges. 

A fellow firearms officer who was at the scene on the night Mr Kaba died told Radio 4’s Today programme “at no point was there any evidence that (Mr Blake) had done anything wrong”. 

The former marksman called for police officers who take fatal shots to face court martial-style hearings rather than jury trials, adding: “There’s a problem when police officers are scrutinised by people who don’t necessarily understand the pressures and the issues involved.”