Police officer who shot dead unarmed black man in London to be charged with murder

The police officer who shot an unarmed black man in south London last year has been charged with murder, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Chris Kaba, 24, died after being shot by a Met firearms officer in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, London, shortly after 10 pm on September 5, 2022. 

He was followed by an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens turned on in the minutes before the shooting, an inquest heard. 

Following the killing, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), carried out a murder investigation.

Today, more than a year on from the incident, the CPS announced it had authorised a murder charge to be issued against a police officer.  

Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, said: ‘Following a thorough review of the evidence provided by the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), the CPS has authorised a charge of murder against a Metropolitan Police officer following the death of Chris Kaba.

‘Mr Kaba died on 6 September 2022 after he was struck by a single bullet in Streatham Hill, south London.

The CPS reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the officer are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

‘It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.’

An inquest at Inner South London Coroner’s Court in October heard that father-to-be Mr Kaba was followed by an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens turned on in the minutes before the shooting.

After his Audi drove down Kirkstall Gardens he was blocked by a marked police vehicle and there was ‘contact’ between the two cars, the court heard, before a marksman fired a single shot through the windscreen, hitting Mr Kaba in the head.

The vehicle had been linked by police to a firearms incident the previous day. Mr Kaba was unarmed and not being treated as a suspect at the time, an inquest heard in October. 

Mr Kaba’s heartbroken family have been demanding action and claimed the officer alleged to have shot their son must face criminal charges.

Speaking earlier this month, Mr Kaba’s mother Helen told the BBC: ‘We need a decision.’ Chris’s father, Prosper added: ‘Not in one week, not in one month, we need it as soon as possible.

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