Chris Kaba, the 24-year-old drill rapper who was fatally shot by Metropolitan Police firearms officer Martyn Blake, was a “core member” of one of London’s most dangerous gangs, a court heard.
Kaba was also allegedly linked to three other shootings, including two in the six days before he died.
Blake’s defence lawyer Patrick Gibbs, KC, had also told the court that Kaba would have faced trial for trying to kill a rival gang member, had he not been shot.
Details of Kaba’s criminal record and gang history can now be revealed after a judge lifted a bar on reporting them on Tuesday.
It had earlier been ruled that most of these details would not be revealed during the trial, with the judge determining they had no bearing on what the jury had to decide.
Jurors were only told of the third shooting incident involving the Audi the night before Blake shot Kaba.
Jurors had accepted Blake’s defence that he believed his colleagues would have been killed by Kaba, who was attempting to ram his way past police cars during an enforced stop and extraction.
Kaba’s mother, Helen Lumuanganu, had made an application to keep the ban on revealing the details in place until after any future inquest into her son’s death, who could have taken years.
Alleged Involvements in Shootings
In the absence of the jury, the court had heard that Kaba’s Audi Q8 had been linked to a May 22, 2022, shotgun incident in Bromley.CCTV footage had also allegedly caught Kaba shooting at a gang rival in a nightclub on Aug. 30.
An earlier Old Bailey trial had heard that Kaba, a member of the “67 gang,” had spotted 25-year-old Brandon Malutshi, associated with the rival “17 gang,” at a party in a nightclub and allegedly shot him twice in the legs.
That trial, which had concluded in April 2024, had resulted in the jailing Marcus Pottinger, 31, and fellow “67 gang” members Shemiah Bell, 32, and Connel Bamgboye, 29, for their part in the shooting.
But with the restrictions now lifted, sentencing Judge Simon Mayo, KC, was found to have identified Kaba as a “core member” of the “67 gang” who had taken a leading role in the incident, shooting Malutshi.
Previous Convictions
Blake’s defence lawyer had told the court, in the absence of the jury, that knowing what he had done in the days before he was shot, Kaba was likely intent on getting away from police on Sept. 5 “at any costs no matter the danger to another person.”Blake’s defence lawyer said, “Had he been alive he would have been tried for attempted murder in this court for many days and weeks.”
After Kaba was shot dead, a balaclava was found in his pocket as well as gunshot residue on his sleeve, which Gibbs also suggested connected the rapper to the shooting in Brixton on Sept. 4.
During the legal argument, it also emerged Kaba had been convicted in 2015 for his part in a nine-man fight. Kaba had then been convicted in December 2017 for possession of an imitation firearm and served a four-year prison sentence.
He was also jailed for five months in August 2020 for possession of a knife and failing to stop.
Risk of Unrest
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said in a court statement that he backed details of Kaba’s past being released to the public, over concerns that withholding that information could fuel civil unrest.Cundy said that the “open and transparent public disclosure” of Kaba’s character would “significantly reduce the risk of unrest on the streets of London and keep the public safe.”
A protest is being organised for Saturday with supporters of the justice campaign for Kaba being encouraged to attend, and there are expected to be other protests taking place in the coming days. Cundy said that while the majority of those attending will do so peacefully, “there is a risk of disorder from a small number of participants based on hostility towards the police.”
He added that if information on Kaba’s past were shared, those seeking to provoke anti-police violence would gain less support.
