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On Monday the 5th of September, 24-year-old Chris Kaba was shot dead by a police officer at approximately 22:00. His death occurred in Streatham Hill in London, after a car chase involving police. Mr Kaba was due to become a first-time father in November, and it has since been revealed that he was unarmed when he was killed. The police watchdog has now launched a homicide investigation into the fatal shooting of this young, unarmed, and Black man.
Mr Kaba was driving a car that an Automatic Number Plate Recognition flagged as having been linked to a firearms incident the day before. Police rammed and boxed in the car - an Audi - and Mr Kaba was killed by a single gunshot through the driver’s side of the windscreen.
The car was not found to be registered to Mr Kaba, and no firearm was discovered within the vehicle. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) stated that CPR was administered on Mr Kaba, and that ambulances were called, however the father-to-be later died in hospital.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of London, demanding justice for Mr Kaba and his family. The march commenced in Parliament Square, passed through Whitehall, and finished in Scotland Yard. Protesters held placards with messages such as “Black Lives Matter”, “Abolish the Met”, and “Justice for Chris Kaba”. On this same day, Sky News was forced to issue an apology, after mistaking the thousands of protesters for crowds mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Sky News presenter Sarah-Jane Mee had commented: “Trafalgar Square, look at that, look at the crowds of people winding their way down… they’ll be working their way up the Mall, and what a walk there is. There are thousands of people lining that route, it really is an incredible sight,” adding: “They’ll work their way up the Mall, very slowly, meeting new friends along the way, talking about their journey here, their memories of the Queen, their good wishes for the new King.”
Sky News later clarified the error on-air, and Ms Mee tweeted: “I’d like to personally apologise to those involved. We are covering the march and it’s [sic] significance later today.”
Mr Kaba’s family were also seen grieving outside Scotland Yard on Saturday. Drummers had played a “slow Jamaican nyabinghi rhythm” throughout the day, while speeches were delivered through loudspeakers. Rapper Stormzy also addressed the protesters, stating: “What they have done is they’ve killed someone. They killed someone, do you know what I mean? … so I just encourage everyone here today to have stamina.” He continued, "And I know it's a very difficult thing to say… But when these people do these things, they get away with it, because what happens is we do this once, we get tired, we tweet, we get tired, we do it for a week, we do it for two weeks, we do it for a month, and they know we get tired."
Mr Kaba was a rapper, known as “Madix” or “Mad Itch”, and had been part of drill group “67”, which had previously been nominated for a MOBO award.
His mother, Helen Nkama, said of her son’s death: “My heart is broken. I am speechless.” Mr Kaba’s family also expressed their concern about the role racism may have played in his death: “We are worried that if Chris had not been Black, he would have been arrested on Monday evening and not had his life cut short."
The Metropolitan Police has stated that the force "recognises the devastating and lasting impact this tragic incident will have". The IOPC has confirmed that it is examining police and CCTV footage from the surrounding area, while the IOPC regional director stated: "When the police use fatal force it is important that there is a robust, independent investigation to establish all of the circumstances surrounding what happened,” adding: "It is natural that the community wants answers quickly but I would ask that people refrain from speculation that may be unhelpful to all of those affected."
Prior to the police watchdog launching its homicide investigation, Mr Kaba’s family had issued a statement which read: “On being notified of the death of Chris Kaba, the IOPC should have immediately opened a homicide and disciplinary investigation. The family was shocked to learn on Wednesday 7 September that the IOPC had still not done so, and demanded a change of heart without delay. The family now await the outcome of that investigation, but seek a charging decision in this case in weeks or a few months, not years. Public confidence in the police and our justice system requires the IOPC and CPS to find a way to make decisions in this case on a timescale that delivers justice to all concerned. Avoidable delay is unacceptable.”
The statement continued, “In the meantime, the family demands that the commissioner of police of the metropolis immediately suspend the firearms officer, pending the outcome of the investigation.”
As of Saturday the 10th of September, it remains unclear whether any of the officers involved in Mr Kaba’s death have been disciplined. The Met has, however, confirmed that the officer who discharged the weapon was not currently on operational duties, and that a senior officer would “carefully consider their work status”.
Mr Kaba was engaged to Karimah Waite - the mother of his child. Ms Waite’s mother, Kim Alleyne, said of Mr Kaba: “He was so loved. He was so funny. He was super kind,” adding: “He’s got a baby on the way that he’s never going to see.”
A post-mortem exam is expected to take place, which will determine the provisional cause of death.
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