The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will consider whether Chris Kaba’s race influenced police actions that led to the fatal shooting of the black rapper, the watchdog said on Friday.
The IOPC also said it’s aiming to complete the homicide investigation within six to nine months.
Separately, a coroner’s inquest into the death will be opened on Oct. 4.
But Kaba’s family demands a charging decision within weeks instead of months.
Kaba, 24, was shot dead by an officer on Sept. 5, after the Audi car he was driving was pursued by a Metropolitan Police armed response vehicle.
The IOPC said the Audi, which was not registered to Kaba, had activated an automatic number plate recognition camera, which indicated it had been linked to a firearms offence a few days before.
Kaba was later found to have been unarmed. A post-mortem examination was completed on Sept. 9 and the preliminary medical cause of death was given as a gunshot wound to the head.
Kaba’s family demanded a homicide investigation into his death and suggested the rapper was shot rather than arrested because he was black. The family also demanded the officer involved be suspended.
The IOPC began investigating the shooting hours after it took place. On Sept. 9, the watchdog escalated its investigation to a homicide investigation.
On Sept. 12, the Met said the officer involved had been suspended from duty “following careful consideration of a number of factors, including the significant impact on public confidence” and the IOPC’s homicide investigation.
The details of the events that led to Kaba’s shooting have not been published. IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem said on Friday that the watchdog is “limited” in the details it can release as it can’t risk prejudicing any proceedings that may follow.
Naseem said officers “fully appreciate that Chris Kaba’s devastated family and the community have a lot of unanswered questions about his death.”
“We have been in further contact with Chris’s family this week to answer a number of questions they have and to offer them privately and confidentially the opportunity to view video footage as soon as it is practicable,” he said.
“We have also advised Chris’s family that we aim to complete our investigation within six to nine months.”
The IOPC said it’s required by law to conduct a “wide-ranging independent investigation” following such deaths.
It said it will “explore all of the circumstances” surrounding Kaba’s death, including how the officers came to be aware of the vehicle Kaba was driving, whether or not they had any prior knowledge of Kaba, and their decision-making and actions on the day of the shooting.
“We will also examine whether or not Mr. Kaba’s race influenced any actions taken by the police,” the watchdog said in a statement.
Met Assistant Commissioner Amanda Pearson said the force continues to “fully support” the IOPC investigation.
He also organised a protest outside Scotland Yard on Saturday with the help of Black Lives Matter UK.
