The Met officer who shot and killed drill rapper Chris Kaba in 2022 has been cleared of murder.
Kaba, who was 24 years old at the time, was shot dead by Sergeant Martyn Blake on September 5 2022 after the car he was in was flagged by an automatic number plate as potentially being linked to a firearms offence.
A police chase followed, and armed police surrounded the vehicle in a narrow street. Kaba was killed by a single gunshot wound, although a search later revealed he was not armed. He later died in hospital.
Now, a jury has unanimously acquitted Blake of the murder of Kaba after deliberating for around three hours on Monday (October 21). Speaking after the trial (as per Mixmag), 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. The acquittal of Martyn Blake isn’t just a failure for our family, but for all those affected by police violence.”
Kayza Rose, a member of the Justice for Chris Kaba campaign group also weighed in and said: “This outcome reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence.”
“The fight for accountability, for justice, and for racial equality has spanned decades,” she continued. “We honour all those who have contributed to that fight. Those that came before us, whose shoulders we stand on today. We are reminded that there is nothing for us in this criminal, legal system.”
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has called for all sides to respect the verdict. After being asked by Sky News about the outcome of the trial (per The Independent), Mahmood shared: “Clearly, it’s been a very difficult trial for everybody who’s been involved in it. The due process of law has now taken place. You wouldn’t expect the Lord Chancellor to comment, I think, on the specifics of those cases.
“A verdict has been given, that must be respected by all sides. I’m sure everyone involved will want to take some time to process that verdict. And clearly, there is some work to do to build trust, both with the police and also with communities as well, which I’m sure the home secretary will be saying more about in the coming days.”
Back in 2022, Stormzy addressed the crowd at a London march protesting the killing of Kaba and urged them to “keep going”.
While giving a speech at the protest, the rapper said: “Someone said before I got up here something that I want to reiterate, everyone here today, I just encourage everyone to have stamina. I know it’s a very difficult thing to say because no one should have the stamina to go on a journey like this to get justice or to get answers, but when these people do these things, they get away with it.”
Protesters gather after the trial verdict where Martyn Blake was cleared of murdering Chris Kaba at the Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court on October 21, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)
He urged protestors to keep putting pressure on the authorities, saying: “What happens is, we do this once, and we get tired. We tweet, and we get tired. We do it for a week, we do it for two weeks, we do it for a month, and they know we get tired.
“I just encourage everyone, at whatever capacity, do whatever you can do to help. But also have the stamina to keep going because they have killed someone. Just keep going because the family needs you.”
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