The man who led the investigation into the police shooting of unarmed driver Chris Kaba has spoken out about the case for the first time after a police firearms officer was cleared of murder.
Metropolitan Police Sergeant Martyn Blake was last month unanimously acquitted by a jury of murdering Mr Kaba, 24, after he tried to ram his way out of a police stop.
The case sparked a flurry of debate over police accountability as police leaders hit out at the decision to press charges against the firearms officer. The home secretary has since announced plans for police marksman to be granted anonymity in court up until the point of conviction.
However Sal Naseem, who led the probe into the shooting for the police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IIOPC), said he had a “visceral reaction” to watching bodyworn camera footage of the incident, which lasted less than 20 seconds.
“It’s a split-second decision but for [Sgt Blake] to discharge the firearm there has to be a significant threat to life,” he told BBC Panorama. “At the time he did, I just didn’t think there was cause.”
The IOPC passed their investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service, who said the case met the test for prosecution following a detailed examination of the evidence.
Meanwhile Mr Kaba’s family, who held protests in the wake of the not guilty verdict, have said they were “shocked and surprised” to discover the 24-year-old was involved in a nightclub shooting just five days before the police stop.
After the trial, a judge lifted reporting restrictions preventing the media from reporting Mr Kaba’s previous convictions and links to a notorious south London gang called the Lambeth ‘67’.
CCTV from a separate trial showed Mr Kaba shooting a rival in the leg on a packed dancefloor in Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, east London, on 30 August 2022, before following him outside and firing again. If he had not been killed, Mr Kaba would have most likely stood trial for attempted murder over this incident.
The Audi he was driving on 5 September had also been linked to another shooting a night earlier, however officers had no intelligence over who was driving when they surrounded the vehicle in Streatham, south London.
Mr Kaba’s father Prosper told the BBC that “the role of the police is not to kill”.
Their son should instead have stood trial and, if convicted, gone to prison for the criminal activity they now know he was involved in, he added.
The IOPC said Mr Naseem, a former regional director, left the police watchdog before the investigation into the fatal shooting of Mr Kaba was complete.
“Mr Naseem left the IOPC before the investigation was completed – he did not make the decision to begin a criminal investigation or to refer to the Crown Prosecution Service,” a spokesman said.
They are currently reviewing whether Sgt Blake should face a gross misconduct hearing over the incident.
