Explained: The New Details In The Chris Kaba Case

New details about Chris Kaba have emerged two years after his death rocked the country.

The police officer who fatally shot the 24-year-old was cleared of his murder this week, meaning the judge in charge of the case has lifted reporting restrictions around the deceased.

Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

Kaba, a 24-year-old Black man who was an expectant father at the time, was shot through the windscreen of a car while trying to drive through south London on September 5, 2022.

Police were investigating the car’s connection to a reported shooting on September 4.

After police cars boxed the car in, Kaba drove backwards and forwards to ram himself free.

An officer, Martyn Blake, then fired a single gunshot through the driver’s side of the windscreen.

He later told the jury he thought there was an “imminent threat” to his colleagues and that he had only meant to incapacitate the driver.

Another officer who was present at the scene also said he was “fractions of a second” away from doing the same at the time.

The police did not know the identity of the driver when he was shot.

According to the watchdog Independent Office for Police Conduct, officers immediately gave Kaba CPR and requested support from the ambulance services. The driver later died in hospital.

A criminal investigation was immediately launched. Blake was taken off operational duties and later suspended.

Kaba’s death in London sparked a major backlash across the country amid accusations of prejudice within the country’s largest police force the Metropolitan Police.

The deceased’s family called for an official investigation and said: “We are worried that if Chris had not been Black, he would have been arrested on Monday evening and not had his life cut short.”

Hundreds marched through the streets calling for justice and chanting, “Black Lives Matter”.

High-profile figures from Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Bell Ribeiro-Addy to with rapper Stormzy joined the protesters.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also promised to “continue to push” for answers and welcomed the suspension of the firearms officer.

Meanwhile, more than 100 Met firearms officers turned in their firearm permits in protest after Blake was charged with murder.

The backlash towards the Met then grew after an independent 2023 review concluded the force was institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic and unable to police itself.

Blake was acquitted of Kaba’s murder on Monday after a three-week trial.

His suspension from duty was lifted immediately, according to the Met.

Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, said: “No police officer is above the law, but we have been clear the system holding police to account is broken.”

He continued: “I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best, but most of all, I worry for the public.

“The more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime – that risks London becoming less safe.

“Our armed officers respond to more than 4,000 incidents each year, but there are only one or two incidents where shots are fired by police. It is undeniable that they are the most professional, most accountable and most cautious in their use of lethal force in the world.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Criminal prosecutions brought against police officers for actions taken in the course of their duties are extremely rare.

“Each day, police officers across the country work hard with bravery and integrity to keep the public safe.”

The court’s decision sparked further marches on Monday, with around 150 people joining a vigil outside the Old Bailey hitting out at what they perceived to be a lack of justice around the case.

Kaba’s family also released a statement via the charity Inquest saying they had a “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,” they said.

After Blake’s acquittal, judge Mr Justice Goss lifted reporting restrictions meaning new information about Kaba came to light.

Blake’s barrister had tried to get “bad character” evidence linked to Kaba put to the jury, but it was considered separate to the case as he had not known who was driving the car when he fired his gun.

It was revealed that Kaba was a core member of a south London gang, and accused of being the gunman in an attempt to murder a rival in a nightclub shortly before his own death.

It has now emerged that Brandon Malutshi was shot twice in the leg with a revolver when Kaba, 24, opened fire in a Hackney club on August 30, 2022.

He had arrived at the venue in an Audi Q8 – which was not registered to Kaba – the same car he was driving when he was shot.

Away from the jury, the Old Bailey heard that the vehicle was connected to a shooting in Bromley, when two people were targeted with a shotgun, as well.

The jury did not know that Kaba was found with a balaclava in his pocket nor that gunshot residue was uncovered on his sleeve when he was shot.

Prosecutors did add that this residue could have come from a firearms officer at the time.

Jurors were told the Audi was then used as a getaway vehicle on September 4, when masked men fired a shotgun twice at unknown targets outside a Brixton school.

No weapons were found in the car but cleaners uncovered a handgun behind the bins of a property along the route Kaba took before he was killed. The weapon is not thought to be linked to the incident.

Kaba was expected to face a civil court hearting 10 days after his death and police were expected to make an application for a gang injunction.

He had previous convictions dating back to when he was 13 for a range of offences and was jailed for four years for possessing an imitation firearm in 2017.

And he was expected to stand trial for the attempted murder of Malutshi, too.