The police marksman who was cleared of murder after shooting Chris Kaba will face gross misconduct proceedings, a watchdog has said.
Metropolitan Police officer Martyn Blake, 41, shot the 24-year-old in Streatham, southeast London, in September 2022 after Kaba tried to ram his way past police cars that had hemmed him in.
Six months after the shooting in March 2023, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog said the Met officer should face gross misconduct proceedings.
After he was acquitted of murder in October 2024, the Met argued the evidence against him had been “tested significantly” and that the IOPC should reconsider.
In a statement on Wednesday, IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: “We understand the impact this decision will have on Chris Kaba’s family and Sergeant Blake and acknowledge the significant public interest in this case, particularly among our Black communities, firearms officers and the wider policing community.
“This is a decision we have taken based on examining all the evidence, views of all parties and by applying the thresholds set out in legislation and guidance which govern our work.
“The legal test for deciding whether there is a case to answer is low – is there sufficient evidence upon which, on the balance of probabilities, a disciplinary panel could make a finding of misconduct. This has been met and therefore we need to follow the legal process.
“We appreciate that the Home Office is carrying out a review of the legal test for the use of force in misconduct cases, however, we must apply the law as it currently stands.”
If the hearing finds he committed gross misconduct he could face the sack.
On the night Kaba died, police began following the Audi Q8 that he was driving because it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the night before.
They did not know who was driving the car at the time, although it later emerged Kaba was a core member of one of London’s most dangerous street gangs and was accused of being involved in two shootings in the week before he died.
Dozens of Metropolitan Police armed officers downed tools in outrage when Blake was charged with murder and the army was put on stand-by to plug the gap.
On Wednesday, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, using the cypher NX121 that was given to Blake before a judge ruled he could be publicly named, said: “We know any fatal use of force by police understandably prompts concern among communities.
“NX121 made a split-second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and London and a jury unanimously decided that was an honestly-held belief and the force used was reasonable.
“However, the IOPC has now determined that NX121 has a case to answer for his use of force and has directed us to hold a gross misconduct hearing.
“We know another lengthy process will fall heavily on the shoulders of NX121 and more widely our firearms officers, who continue to bravely and tirelessly police the streets of London every day to protect the public.”
A chief officer from an outside force will be asked to chair the disciplinary hearing, which will be held in due course, the force said.
Blake was cleared after a trial at the Old Bailey in October last year and questions were raised as to whether he should ever have been charged with murder.
The IOPC said the charge was brought after “careful consideration of a significant amount of evidence” and the application of relevant legal tests while the Crown Prosecution Service said the matter had to be put before a jury.
Blake was publicly named during his trial as is standard practice, but restrictions remain in place banning the publication of his address or any description or image of him.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is bringing in legal changes that will give police marksmen accused of murder the right to anonymity up to the point of conviction.
