Chris Kaba shooting: Family demands answers as Met Police 'resist' inquest

The Metropolitan Police are “resisting” an inquest into the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba by an officer, lawyers for his family have alleged.

Kaba, 24, was a member of one of London’s most violent street gangs, and had a long history of violence, with a string of convictions for knife crime dating back more than 10 years.

He was shot in the head in Streatham, south-east London, on 5 September 2022, after trying to ram his way past police cars following a chase.

He was taken to hospital but died of his injuries the following day.

It later emerged that Kaba had shot a man in the legs in a nightclub in the week before he died.

Metropolitan Police marksman Sgt Martyn Blake was charged with Kaba’s murder, but was found not guilty after a trial at the Old Bailey.

Blake insisted that he feared for his life and his fellow officer’s safety. He apologised for the “distress” caused to Kaba’s family but insisted the shooting was “lawful, proportionate and necessary”.

Blake, also known by the cypher NX121, was also due to face disciplinary proceedings. However, those did not go ahead after the government changed regulations around police use of force.

An inquest into Kaba’s death was opened and immediately adjourned in October 2022, amid an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

A pre-inquest review began on Thursday at Southwark Coroner’s Court to hear legal submissions before senior coroner Dr Julian Morris rules on whether to resume a full inquest into Mr Kaba’s death.

Matthew Ryder KC, representing the Kaba family, said that there was “sufficient reason” to resume the inquest.

In his legal submissions on Thursday, he said that the family wanted to find out “why did this police officer shoot our son?”

Mr Ryder told the court: “They want there to be an investigation to provide at least an opportunity to find out if the officer acted unreasonably in perceiving their son as a threat for which lethal force was needed.”

Mr Ryder said he could not think of “any case in modern history or an equivalent where a police officer has shot someone in public and there has not been an inquest”.

He said that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley was “positively resisting the resumption of an inquest” and the family found this “disappointing and misguided”.

He added that his death was an “immense tragedy” for his family and resulted in public demonstrations of support, “particularly in the Black community”.