Police Firearms Officer Charged With Murder of Chris Kaba in London

A forensics officer takes photographs of the scene where 24-year-old Chris Kaba was killed by police in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, south London, on Sept. 5, 2022. PA

A Metropolitan Police firearms officer has been charged with murdering Chris Kaba, a drill rapper who was shot dead in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.

Mr. Kaba died on Sep. 6, 2022 after being struck by a single bullet as he drove a car in Streatham Hill, south London.

In a statement, Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said, “Following a thorough review of the evidence provided by the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), the CPS has authorised a charge of murder against a Metropolitan Police officer following the death of Chris Kaba.”

The officer, who has not been identified and is expected to be given a coded pseudonym to protect his identity, will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Thursday.

‘Right to Fair Trial’

Ms. Ainslie said: “The CPS reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the officer are active and that he has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

The statement went on: “The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.”

“The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors,” it concluded.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Millichap said: “We have fully supported the IOPC investigation as it has worked to establish the facts. Today’s announcement is a significant and serious development. We must now allow the court process to run its course so it would not be appropriate for me to say more at this stage.”

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this case,” she added.

Mr. Kaba, who was also known as Itch or Mad Itch, had been a rapper with a drill group called 67, which has been involved in a long-running feud in south London.

Six men are due to go on trial in November accused of conspiring along with Mr. Kaba to murder a man called Brendon Malutshi, who survived the shooting on Aug. 30, 2022.

The Chris Kaba shooting was the most controversial firearms incident in London since August 2011 when Mark Duggan, a member of the Tottenham Man Dem, was shot dead, triggering riots across the capital.

In the case of Mr. Duggan, the police officer who shot him, identified only as V53, was never charged and an inquest jury returned a verdict of lawful killing.