Encountered police shooter who shot Chris Kaba named: Anonymity order protecting identity of armed officer lifted ahead of murder trial
The Metropolitan Police gunman accused of murdering Chris Kaba has been named for the first time today.
Officer Martyn Blake, 40, who was charged with Mr Kaba’s murder last September, had only been identified as NX121 until now.
Recorder of London Mark Lucraft KC ruled that naming him, as is normal practice in criminal cases involving adult defendants, posed no real or immediate risk to his life or that of his family.
His home address or a picture or description of him cannot be published.
Members of Mr Kaba’s family were in court at the Old Bailey on Friday when the officer was publicly named for the first time.
Appearing in the dock, Blake spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and entered a not guilty plea to the charge of murder.
Chris Kaba, 24, died after being shot by a Metropolitan Police firearms officer in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, south London, shortly after 10pm on September 5
An overhead view of the scene in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, after the shooting in September 2022
British rapper Stormzy was among those who took part in the protests. He addressed the crowds here on September 10, 2022
Kaba, a 24-year-old unarmed black man, was fatally shot in Streatham Hill, south London, on 5 September 2022.
The father-to-be died from a single gunshot wound to the head after the Audi he was driving was blocked by a police car.
The fatal shooting sparked an outpouring of both grief and anger as protesters including rapper Stormzy took to the streets of London demanding ‘Justice for Chris Kaba’.
Blake was charged with murder on September 20, but District Judge Nina Tempia granted an anonymity order ahead of further hearings at the Old Bailey in London.
It was initially decided that the officer’s name and date of birth could be published from 30 January – but this was postponed to 1 March and then 8 March.
The decision to identify Blake has sparked an outcry from the shooter’s colleagues at the Met Police.
Last month it was revealed that hundreds of armed officers had deserted the Met’s firearms unit in just six months after their colleague was charged with Mr Kaba’s murder.
The number carrying weapons fell by more than 250 between April and December 2023 due to widespread anger in the force over resources and disciplinary procedures.
Only 22 armed officers remained in the 12-month period to March 2023.
In September, dozens surrendered their weapons in protest at the decision to charge their colleague with murder.
The Met Police confirmed at the time that ‘a number’ of the officer’s colleagues had stepped down from armed duties due to fears about how future police shootings may be judged by the CPS.
It was initially decided that the officer’s name and date of birth could be published from 30 January – but this was postponed to 1 March and then 8 March. Photo: Chris Kaba
October 2022: Pictured left, Chris’ uncle Kiyika Nkama Nkamu, second left: father Prosper Kaba, right: cousin Jefferson Bosela and far right: mother Helen Lumuanganu)
Medical examiners work overnight in a police cordon after the fatal shooting in 2022
After a flurry of autumn resignations led to the army being put on standby, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley pledged to push for new safeguards, including fewer and faster investigations into alleged police misconduct.
After the judge initially ruled last year that Blake could be named, Steve Hartshorn, president of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), said: “PFEW is seriously concerned and bitterly disappointed about the potential consequences of publishing the officer’s name and date. of the birth.
“We know this concern is shared by many officers in all ranks and roles across the country, but more so in the world of armed policing as they understand the threat and risk taken in protecting the public more than others.
‘Officers do not seek to be above the law, but they need to be confident that they have the necessary protection to carry out the difficult and dangerous work society expects of them.’
The Met’s assistant commissioner, Matt Twist, called the move “very concerning” for officers despite taking “the principle of open justice seriously”.
Chris Kaba, 24, who was due to become a father within months, died after being shot by police in Streatham Hill, south London
Kaba was followed by an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens on in the minutes before the shooting.
After his Audi drove down Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, he was blocked by a marked police vehicle and there was ‘contact’ between the two cars, the court heard, before a gunman fired a single shot through the windscreen, hitting Mr Kaba in the the car. main.
The vehicle had been linked by police to a gun incident the previous day. Sir. Kaba was unarmed and was not being treated as a suspect at the time, an investigation said.
Following the killing, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), conducted a homicide investigation.
And on September 20 last year, the CPS announced it had approved a charge of murder against a police officer.
Sir. Kaba’s heartbroken family have demanded action, claiming the officer who allegedly shot their son should face criminal charges.
Floral tributes were left at the scene in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, south London
The Independent Policing Office launched an investigation into the fatal shooting – and the CPS announced it was charging an officer with murder
Members of campaign group Justice For Chris Kaba make a statement outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court after an officer was charged with the 24-year-old’s killing last September.
In a joint statement when the officer was charged with murder, Mr Kaba’s family said: ‘Chris was so loved by our family and all his friends. He had a bright future ahead of him, but his life was cut short. Our family and our wider community must see justice for Chris.
‘We welcome this charging decision, which could not have come too soon. We now await the trial of the gun officer without delay and hope and pray that justice will be done.’
When Stozmy joined protesters in support of Mr Kaba’s family in September 2022, he said: ‘Chris has a mother, he has a family, he has brothers, he has friends, people who knew him in real life, who for them it is unbearable. .’
The officer’s trial is set to begin on October 1 – more than two years after the alleged killing.