UK - Chris Kaba 21, shot dead by armed officers, now a murder inquiry, London.

[Sherlockhames]

Chris Kaba ‘shot gang rival’ at nightclub days before his death.

Chris Kaba ‘shot gang rival’ at nightclub days before his death

Now this can be reported - the trial for the other members involved in this nightclub shooting has already happened. But none of this could be reported until the trial of Martyn Blake was concluded.

(And worth remembering that this was very important to have remained unreported since when the shooting of Chris Kaba occurred none of the officers involved knew who was driving that the Audi A8. So the fact this was the guy who ended up dead has no bearing on the behaviour of the officers at that point).

 

[bobbymkii]

People wanted the truth. They're now getting the truth.

Chris Kaba was a greater threat to black lives than any police officer in this country.

JMO

 

[Sherlockhames]

Chris Kaba was one of London's most feared gangsters

Martyn Blake is having to live in hiding, fearing for his life and his family after a £10,000 reward was offered to anyone prepared to kill him in revenge for the death of Chris Kaba in South London in 2022.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[bobbymkii]

Chaotic court scenes as legal argument raged before Chris Kaba verdict​

MSN

 

[Marantz4250b]

People wanted the truth. They're now getting the truth.

Chris Kaba was a greater threat to black lives than any police officer in this country.

JMO

Without any doubt one of the truest statements ever published on here!

 

[MollyHarps]

People wanted the truth. They're now getting the truth.

Chris Kaba was a greater threat to black lives than any police officer in this country.

JMO

Well said.

I think for his family to have been reporting him as a ‘nice family man’ was such a misleading statement.

Whilst I get his history wasn’t ‘directly’ linked to the case so couldn’t be reported previously due the police officer not knowing that he was wanted on attempted murder charges and part of a gang.. I think indirectly it is completely relevant to the case as it shows the police officer on duty was right to fear for his colleagues life.

 

[Marantz4250b]

Well said.

I think for his family to have been reporting him as a ‘nice family man’ was such a misleading statement.

Whilst I get his history wasn’t ‘directly’ linked to the case so couldn’t be reported previously due the police officer not knowing that he was wanted on attempted murder charges and part of a gang.. I think indirectly it is completely relevant to the case as it shows the police officer on duty was right to fear for his colleagues life.

It's "standard operating procedure" these days though, sadly. Play it down and deny the facts. I've lost count of the number of "aspiring young footballers" and the number of times I've heard "...well, he was no angel but he never set out to harm anyone..." or similar only for it come out later that they were in fact deeply unpleasant people who were basically career criminals.

In this current case it's a blatant lie to suggest that he was anything other than a selfish, self-centred, psycho who gave no care for anyone other than himself. This guy didn't just do a little bit of crime - he had years and years of extreme criminality behind him; drug dealing, stabbings, shootings, numerous convictions, gang restriction orders (I didn't even know that was a thing) and he was apparently set to be arrested for attempted murder according to the police.

The notion that's being put around by certain people that the acquittal of this officer is confirmation that the police have carte-blanche to shoot whoever they like due to their skin colour/race/ethnic background is a disgraceful and vile lie and should not be given publicity by any self-respecting media outlet. This kind of rubbish needs to be called out more.

Now, yes, you're correct in that doesn't directly affect the trial, as such, because the officer who shot him didn't know who was driving. He DID, however, know that the car was involved (heavily involved) in one shooting for definite and probably others so was likely to have armed people in it. It was also, I believe, being used to ram officers and their vehicles. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

Things need to change in this country as regards this type of criminality. The media owe a duty to play their part in ostracising the type of people who engage in these types of crimes and criminal gangs.

 

[Skigh]

Colleague of Martyn Blake who shot Chris Kaba says public is less safe after officer's prosecution

A firearms officer, who has now retired from policing because of the killing of Chris Kaba, spoke to Sky News after his close colleague was found not guilty of murder.

news.sky.com

Martyn was acting entirely in good faith in order to protect his colleagues, and in doing so, more broadly, to protect members of the public. So, I think for many firearms officers, it's a confusing situation they find themselves in.

"Ultimately, it's the public who will suffer from this. The public are less safe when we create a culture where our police officers are neither valued nor treated fairly, and I think for all of us within the policing community particularly, but for those members of the public who have an interest in this too, I think we should all be very concerned."

Mr Blake's murder charge was described as a scandal within policing. After his first court appearance last year, Sky News revealed how thousands of officers threatened to down their guns if the police sergeant's identity was revealed

 

[Telltale]

There is a Daily Mail article claiming that Blake and his family has had to go into hiding due to a 10k bounty on his head.

I've not seen it reported elsewhere and it is the Daily Mail, so take that with a pinch of salt. Still, that was the exact reason it was outrageous they allowed Blake's identity to be released.

It's not to protect officers from accountability, it's because you train, equip and expect them to use deadly force as part of their job if necessary. If there is a question as to whether they did so lawfully, then they should be investigating and if needed tried. However, until guilt has been established, their identity should be protected so their safety and ability to resume their job can be preserved.

Perhaps that standard would not be appropriate in a country with a great deal of police shootings, but luckily the UK does not have that particular police issue.

 

[bobbymkii]

Well said.

I think for his family to have been reporting him as a ‘nice family man’ was such a misleading statement.

Whilst I get his history wasn’t ‘directly’ linked to the case so couldn’t be reported previously due the police officer not knowing that he was wanted on attempted murder charges and part of a gang.. I think indirectly it is completely relevant to the case as it shows the police officer on duty was right to fear for his colleagues life.

My thoughts on the Kaba family, are complex, so I won't go into them in full or else I'll be here typing forever.

I think they have been deliberately lying about who Chris was and the circumstances surrounding his death, for 2 years and it's been so frustrating to watch because I think a large driving factor behind these lies has been through bad advice from shameless activists and lawyers who have exploited their tragedy in order to further their own grift. These people have pretended to be acting in their best interests, offered them false promises but they have now left them in a position where they have sat in court watching the same video clips of their son being shot dead by a police officer, only for him to be found not guilty. An end result that seemed painfully inevitable to a lot of us. Out of the three hours the jury spent "deliberating" I reckon they spent most of it drafting the statement they wanted to publish rather than actually arguing about whether or not Martyn Blake had committed the most serious criminal offence anyone can commit in our jurisdiction.

These shameless grifters will just continue grifting what they can from this episode then happily move on to their next grift with no consequences whatsoever. Meanwhile the Kaba family will never be able to mourn Chris's loss with dignity.

All very very much, JMO.

 

[Honeybirdette]

An innocent, unarmed man shot dead due to the colour of his skin. Not a shocker that the met are supporting the officer, as they have been proven to be institutionally racist. What with that and having sex offenders in their ranks, they need to get their house in order!!
Jmo, moo.

I’m saying nothing

 

[Skigh]

Firearms officers' identities will be kept secret during trials

Ms Cooper was addressing MPs after Sergeant Martyn Blake, 40, was cleared this week of murdering 24-year-old Mr Kaba in Streatham, south London in 2022.

www.dailymail.co.uk

In a statement to the Commons today, Ms Cooper told MPs: 'When officers act in the most dangerous situations on behalf of the state it is vital that those officers and their families are not put in further danger during any subsequent legal proceedings


We will therefore introduce a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trial following a police shooting in the course of their professional duties, up to the point of conviction.'

 

[Marantz4250b]

I’m saying nothing

Well I am!

The post you responded to made the statement that he was "unarmed". He absolutely was not! He was using his vehicle as a weapon and was clearly willing to do anything required to get away even if that meant killing people.

The evidence showed that the officer shot him because he had the honestly held belief that he was reaching for a gun. Even if he did not have that belief then from what I can tell he would still have been totally justified in shooting him due to the way in which he was using his car as a weapon.

I'd love to read the statement that the jury was denied permission to read out. I'm betting it was kinda similar to the one the jury made in Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's third trial waaay back in 1922!

Roscoe Arbuckle - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

We feel that a great injustice has been done him. We feel also that it was only our plain duty to give him this exoneration, under the evidence, for there was not the slightest proof adduced to connect him in any way with the commission of a crime. He was manly throughout the case and told a straightforward story on the witness stand, which we all believed. The happening at the hotel was an unfortunate affair for which Arbuckle, so the evidence shows, was in no way responsible. We wish him success and hope that the American people will take the judgment of fourteen men and woman who have sat listening for thirty-one days to evidence, that Roscoe Arbuckle is entirely innocent and free from all blame.
​

I suspect that the statement will come out eventually - I wonder how similar it will be to the above?

 

[Telltale]

Firearms officers' identities will be kept secret during trials

Ms Cooper was addressing MPs after Sergeant Martyn Blake, 40, was cleared this week of murdering 24-year-old Mr Kaba in Streatham, south London in 2022.

www.dailymail.co.uk

In a statement to the Commons today, Ms Cooper told MPs: 'When officers act in the most dangerous situations on behalf of the state it is vital that those officers and their families are not put in further danger during any subsequent legal proceedings

We will therefore introduce a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trial following a police shooting in the course of their professional duties, up to the point of conviction.'

Well it's nice that they got there. More than I generally expect from either party, but particularly Labour. Would have been nicer if they'd had the balls to step in pre-trial and voice this common sense principle. But I suppose that might have been politically risky without the cover of a not guilty verdict, so Blake just had to lump it.

Now at least Blake can resume and... nevermind, time for the gross misconduct hearing. Hopefully the IOPC will have the sense to drop it. All evidence has been thoroughly examined, all witnesses have given testimony, a full defence/prosecution case has been made. A jury found Blake not guilty of murder despite the fact he took aim and shot Kaba in the head. Which means they found him to have acted lawfully in legitimate defence of himself, in line with his training. Exactly what would a gross misconduct hearing be about?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...r-martyn-blake-misconduct-hearing/ar-AA1sJxTF

 

[Bluebear15]

The police could shot his tyres...just saying.
I stand by my post made over a year ago.
Jmo, moo

 

[bobbymkii]

The police could shot his tyres...just saying.
I stand by my post made over a year ago.
Jmo, moo

How?

Chris Kaba murder trial live as marksman tells jury 'I felt in fear of my life'

The firearms officer stood next to Martyn Blake when he pulled the trigger told jurors he had 'no doubt' he would have been under Chris Kaba's Audi had he waited 'any second longer'

www.mylondon.news

 

[Telltale]

The police could shot his tyres...just saying.
I stand by my post made over a year ago.
Jmo, moo

No. Shooting out the tyres of a vehicle does not disable the vehicle. Blake and his colleague would have just as easily been run over by a car with flat tyres. This is not a movie.

Firearms intelligence on the vehicle aside. Unarmed implies that he did not poses the means to be an immediate lethal threat to those officers lives.

I am sure you can agree that if a several ton vehicle is trying to violently ram it's way out of an armed police road block. Then an officer standing in the gap presenting it's only way out can make the reasonable judgment that they and their colleague are about to end up under the wheels.

An innocent, unarmed man shot dead due to the colour of his skin. Not a shocker that the met are supporting the officer, as they have been proven to be institutionally racist. What with that and having sex offenders in their ranks, they need to get their house in order!!

To be clear. You stand by everything in this statement?

 

[bobbymkii]

You know, I get why people want to argue options that on the surface would present lower potential for a fatality such as shooting the tyres of a suspect's car. And I'm no expert by any means but throughout this case and its' aftermath I've listened to the opinions of a few former officers who do have that expertise. And my conclusion is...

There is no way an armed police officer should ever be trained to shoot the tyres of a moving vehicle. Even for a highly trained marksman like Martyn Blake that is borderline impossible and fraught with all kinds of unintended consequences. If an opportunity arises for the police to deflate the tyres of a suspect vehicle, they should operate a stinger device on the vehicle. Not bullets which could ricochet here, there or anywhere and seriously endanger multiple people in addition to the suspect.

JMO

 

[Telltale]

You know, I get why people want to argue options that on the surface would present lower potential for a fatality such as shooting the tyres of a suspect's car. And I'm no expert by any means but throughout this case and its' aftermath I've listened to the opinions of a few former officers who do have that expertise. And my conclusion is...

There is no way an armed police officer should ever be trained to shoot the tyres of a moving vehicle. Even for a highly trained marksman like Martyn Blake that is borderline impossible and fraught with all kinds of unintended consequences. If an opportunity arises for the police to deflate the tyres of a suspect vehicle, they should operate a stinger device on the vehicle. Not bullets which could ricochet here, there or anywhere and seriously endanger multiple people in addition to the suspect.

JMO

A stinger is less safe than a hard stop. Less controlled and not immediately effective if the driver is determined. Also very hard to set up safely in a urban area. Considering the markers on the car. No matter how the car stopped firearms officers would still need to close in on the driver, but they'd not be immediately around the car. Increasing the risk of a shootout or an armed suspect escaping.

They used the safest most practical tactics to minimise the risk. A tactical hard stop using marked police cars boxed in his vehicle. Uniformed officers who clearly identifed themselves as they very quicky close in, shutting down his options to escape or take offensive action.

Well that's the idea anyway. Unfortunately, in the real world, you can't execute such tactics perfectly every time, and you can't force someone to respond rationally or safely.

British police kill very very few people. About 84 total in the last 35 years, averaging 2 a year. I believe Kaba saw that the block left a big enough gap of his car to ram his way out. So he took the gamble that police would not shoot him for trying to escape. Incredibly stupid and dangerous, but not a suicidal gamble if he was only hitting cars not people.

Unfortunately, the ramming was dangerous as hell and potentially deadly when Blake and his colleague stepped into the gap Kaba was trying to smash the car through. He failed to recognise and/or care continuing would put two officers in in mortal danger.

Replaying police video from multiple angles is great for investigation. However, it turns us all into post-game refs for an incident that escalated from stop to shot in 17 seconds. It's easy to use this narrow viewpoint to brainstorm decisions that had to be made in a split second (as they should to improve tactics) but it's unfair to make that the standard in such situations. For any human.

 

[Rikissa]

‘Shocking’: Chris Kaba verdict stokes old frustrations in Brixton

Latest acquittal of an officer who shot dead unarmed Black man provokes disbelief, frustration and resignation in south London

www.theguardian.com

Chris Kaba was the fouth unarmed man to be shot dead by police in non-terrorist operations since 2005. All were Black.