Jefferson Bosela – the cousin of Chris Kaba and spokesman for the family – has said that his family are going to “take a break and step back” after being shown the body-worn camera footage of the events leading up to Chris Kaba’s shooting.
24-year-old Chris Kaba died after a police pursuit ended in Streatham Hill on Monday, 5th September.
Initial reports suggest that the vehicle being driven by Kaba had been linked to a firearms incident that had occurred in the previous days.
No details have been released by the Met or IOPC regarding the nature of the firearms incident. It is understood that Mr Kaba had recently been released from prison after serving a custodial sentence for firearms offences.
When the Audi passed through a set of Automatic Number Plate Readers (ANPR), officers in the area were alerted to the vehicle’s presence. As the Audi being driven by Kaba had a ‘firearms marker’ on it, only armed officers were authorised to intercept the vehicle.
It is believed that the ‘firearms marker’ placed on the vehicle was related to the vehicle registration mark via Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) as opposed to the registered keeper of the car.
Several Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs) made their way to the scene and quickly located the Audi. But when officers indicated for the Audi to stop, it failed to do so.
A pursuit ensued, ending when the fleeing Audi was boxed in. There have been some reports and much speculation on social media that Mr Kaba drove at the armed officers, but these reports have neither been confirmed nor denied by the Met or IOPC.
Following pressure from some MPs and the mainstream media in the days following the shooting, the officer involved was suspended from duty despite having already been removed from frontline policing duties, the latter of which is expected when an armed police officer discharges their firearm during an incident.
On Wednesday, Kaba’s family met Met police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, and the IOPC director general, Michael Lockwood, where investigators showed them bodycam footage of what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting.
Following the meeting, Kaba’s mother, Helen Nkama, said: “It was hard … very hard.
“As I’ve said before, my heart is already broken. What I want is justice for my son and I want the truth.”
Jefferson Bosela, Kaba’s cousin who was also at the meeting, said: “It was hard, but the family just wants justice. For now, the family are going to take a break and take a step back.”
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Why “fail to stop when required by the police?” Certainly not the actions of “an innocent man.” The ;police are at risk when a vehicle with a “firearms marker” fails to stop and will immediately assume the person involved is “a threat to them”..so take “proactive action” to save their lives.
Coming to terms with the facts ?
The Police, like soldiers, sometimes have to make rapid decisions! Training means they usually get it right!
Police say stop, you don’t, you get what you deserve. Not the actions of an innocent man.