Chris Kaba shooting: Police officer not guilty of murder

A police officer has been cleared of murdering a man he shot in the head in south London two years ago.

Martyn Blake, 40, shot Chris Kaba, who was unarmed, during a police vehicle stop in Streatham in September 2022. The officer had said he did not mean to kill him but feared lives were in danger.

Mr Kaba’s family said they had been left with a sense of injustice and were “devastated”.

But Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said “no police officer was above the law but the system of holding firearms officer to account was broken”.

Mr Blake, who denied intending to kill the 24-year-old, took a deep breath as the jury’s decision was read out, but otherwise did not react to the not guilty verdict.

The Met said the officer, who was suspended throughout the process, will be immediately reinstated.

During the trial at the Old Bailey, the court heard Mr Kaba was due to be a father.

He had been followed by police because the Audi car he was driving had been linked to a shooting in Brixton the night before.

Jurors heard that Mr Kaba drove backwards and forwards trying to ram his way free, which Mr Blake said made him believe one of his colleagues was about to die, and so he opened fire to stop the car.

A fellow firearms officer known as DS87 said he would have taken a shot if Mr Blake had not, and another identified by the cypher E156 said he was “fractions of a second” away from doing the same.

Another, NX109, got the finger of his glove caught in the Audi’s door handle and just managed to wrench it free as it moved forward, telling the jury he thought he would be dragged between it and a Tesla parked nearby.

Mr Kaba died from a single gunshot wound, which was fired through the windscreen of the Audi Q8.

Mr Blake had told the court: “I had a genuine belief that there was an imminent threat to life.

“If I hadn’t of acted I thought one of the colleagues would have been dead.”

Following the officer’s acquittal, Mr Kaba’s family said: “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.”

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

The family thanked supporters and added that “despite this verdict, we won’t be silenced” and they will “continue fighting for Chris, for justice, and for real change”.

The jury of nine men and three women reached their decision after they deliberated for about three hours.

Following the verdict, Mr Justice Goss thanked them, saying they displayed diligence and care during the trial.

Sir Mark said Mr Blake had paid “a huge personal and professional sacrifice” over the past two years since the shooting.

He said the officer had made “a split second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and to protect London”.

Sir Mark also criticised the systems used to hold police officers who take lethal shots to account.

“I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best, but most of all, I worry for the public,” he said.

“The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime – that risks London becoming less safe.”

• Listen to In Court: Chris Kaba Killing – Police Officer on Trial twice weekly on BBC Sounds

The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), will now consider whether Mr Blake should face a disciplinary hearing.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “The past few weeks must have been incredibly difficult and distressing for Chris’s family who have sat through the trial, listened to all the evidence and witnessed his final moments played out in court.

“We also recognise the impact that this trial has had on the officer involved, as well as his firearms colleagues and the wider policing community.”

She added: “We appreciate this trial will have been of significant public interest, and particularly so within our Black communities.”

Frank Ferguson, from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said the decision to prosecute was made “after an in-depth consideration of all the available evidence”.

He said: “We recognise that firearms officers operate under enormous pressure, but it is our responsibility to put cases before a jury that meet our test for prosecution, and we are satisfied that test was met in this case.

“It is therefore right that the case was put before the jury for them to scrutinise and to decide.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For two years since the death of Chris Kaba, this has been a very difficult case, causing deep concerns for communities, for police officers and of course causing real distress for the families most closely affected.

“Criminal prosecutions brought against police officers for actions taken in the course of their duties are extremely rare. Each day, police officers across the country work hard with bravery and integrity to keep the public safe.”

She said it was “important both that the police have the confidence of communities they serve and that officers have the support and confidence they need to do the difficult job of keeping us safe”.

The government was “committed” to working with policing to strengthen confidence for the future, she added.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he understood the impact Mr Kaba’s death has had and the “anger, pain and fear it has caused”.

“I respect the decision made by the jury today following a full examination of a large amount of evidence – including video from the incident,” he said in a statement.

“In London, we police by consent. When anyone loses their life following contact with the police, it’s important that it is properly and thoroughly investigated, which is what’s happened in this case.”

He said there was a “wider lack of trust in the police, particularly within the black community, that needs to be addressed”, but he would continue to work with the government to support and hold the Metropolitan Police to account “to ensure any lessons are learnt and the Met commands the trust of all Londoners as we build a safer London for everyone”.