Metropolitan police officer Martyn Blake has been cleared of murdering a man he shot in the head in south London two years ago on September 5, 2022.
He shot Chris Kaba unarmed during a police vehicle shop in Streatham. The jury at the Old Beiley reached a unanimous verdict after a three-week trial deliberating for approximately three hours.
Mr Kaba’s family said it was “painful proof that our lives are not valued by the system.”
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said, “No police officer is above the law, but we have been clear that the system holding police accounts is broken.”
Mr Blake denied intending to kill Mr Kaba and took a deep breath at the jury’s decision. The Met ordered the officer to reinstate all those suspended throughout the process immediately.
On the shooting night, police were attempting to stop Mr, Kaba’s Audi Q8 because the car was linked to a previous shooting in Brixton.
Armed officers surrounded the vehicle as Kaba attempted to escape. While Mr Balke believed one of his colleagues was in danger, and he opened fire to stop the car.
Mr, Kaba died from a single gunshot in the forehead.
One of Balke’s firearms officers said he would have done it if Balke hadn’t, and another said to the jury that he was “fractions of a second away from doing this
Sir Mark said the officer had made ” a split-second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and to protect London. Even he criticizes the system for holding police officers from taking lethal shots to account.
He said, “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 and risks London becoming less safe.”
More than 100 Met firearms officers turned in the permits that allowed them to carry a weapon in protesting after Mr Blake’s charge of murder.
While Kaba’s family expressed devastation over the ruling, emphasizing their ongoing campaign for justice and highlighting systemic issues related to policing and race in the UK.
A campaigner, Kayza Rose, said “It reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence. No one can be safe while the police can kill with impunity. This verdict is not the end. It only strengthens our resolve.
Now is the time to join and fight for a future where justice and accountability are the norm, and no one is above the law.”
Ms Mwale added, “We haven’t stood for it before, and we will continue to fight until our last breath until we are in our graves, and from the afterlife as ancestors, we will strengthen the next generation so they can fight.
We believe that our grandchild will have to continue fighting. Who wants to live in a society where the police can shoot unarmed people in the forehead and be faced with no consequences?
“Martyn Blake didn’t spend but a second in a handcuff, not a second in a jail cell. Our lives will never matter to this system, but it’s fine. We matter to each other way. We matter to ourselves and we will fight for our rights. No justice. No peace.”
Frank Ferguson from the CPS said, ” The decision to prosecute was made after an in-depth consideration of all the available evidence.”
“We recognize that firearms officers operate under enormous pressure, but it is our responsibility to put cases before a jury that meet our test for prosecution, and we are satisfied that test was met in this case.”
The incident undoubtedly sparked conversations about police accountability and potential reforms in law enforcement practices.