A Scotland Yard marksman was acquitted of murder today after shooting dead a fleeing motorist to stop him running over colleagues.
Martyn Blake, 40, was dramatically cleared after being accused of shooting dead Chris Kaba, 24, ‘without justification’ to stop the suspect escaping police.
After the verdict was announced, dramatic video from September 5, 2022 revealed the moment Blake shot Mr Kaba through a car windscreen before shouts of ‘shots fired’, ‘where from’ and ‘first aid’ could be heard.
The Crown Prosecution Service released the extraordinary footage featuring police bodycam footage from multiple angles which shows the chaotic scenes.
The clip shows armed officers running towards Mr Kaba’s car which was hemmed in by marked and unmarked police cars, with shouts of ‘doors, doors, doors’ heard.
This was followed by two officers screaming of ‘armed police, show me your hands’, then wheel spin could be heard as Mr Kaba drove the Audi backwards and forwards.
An officer next to the car again shouts ‘show me your hands’, and a horn is beeped before a shot is heard – and someone shouts ‘right we’ve got shots fired, shots fired’.
A cry of ‘where from, where from’ is then heard, before someone answers ’round the front’ – followed by frantic shouts of ‘first aid, first aid’.
The clip also features a moving map compiled by the Independent Office for Police Conduct showing where all the officers and the vehicles are located at all times.
In an extraordinary case which has profound implications for national security, hundreds of firearms officers around the country downed their weapons in protest after the officer was charged as colleagues argued that he was just trying to save them from Mr Kaba.
Chris Kaba was shot through the windscreen of a car in South London on September 5, 2022
Chris Kaba is seen sat inside an Audi Q8 in Streatham, South London, on September 5, 2022
The police bodycam footage from multiple angles shows chaotic scenes as Mr Kaba was shot
Mr Kaba’s vehicle was hemmed in by marked and unmarked police cars during the incident
A shot is heard in the video before someone shouts ‘right we’ve got shots fired, shots fired’
The fatal shooting on September 5, 2022 happened after armed police started tailing the vehicle that Mr Kaba was driving because the Audi Q8 had been used as a getaway car in a gang-related shooting the night before in Brixton, South London.
When police boxed in the vehicle in a residential street in Streatham, Mr Kaba used the car as a ‘battering ram’ reversing into a police car before accelerating into parked cars in a desperate bid to escape.
Seemingly ready to run over anyone standing in his way, Mr Kaba revved back and forth in the high-powered Audi almost dragging the ten officers surrounding him under the wheels before Blake finally ended the rampage by shooting him dead.
Today the Crown Prosecution Service is facing questions about why it brought the landmark case after jurors took just three hours to acquit Blake.
During the trial lasting nearly three weeks, a succession of officers claimed they would have shot Mr Kaba if Blake had not acted.
A fellow firearms officer known as DS87 said he would have taken a shot if Blake had not.
Another identified by the cypher E156 said he was ‘fractions of a second’ away from doing the same.
The footage shows armed officers running towards Mr Kaba’s car which was hemmed in
Further angles show other footage of the moment Mr Kaba is shot through a windscreen
A grab from footage issued by the CPS of the initial follow of the Audi driven by Chris Kaba
One officer known as NX109 was perilously close to being run over after getting the finger of his glove caught in the Audi’s door handle, just managing to wrench it free in time before the Audi surged forward ramming into a parked Tesla.
Prosecutor Tom Little, KC, argued that Blake had misjudged the risk and exaggerated the threat to his colleagues in statements following the shooting.
But Patrick Gibbs, KC, defending, said he wasn’t ‘Robocop’ and made a split second decision to save others.
Despite the acquittal, Blake now faces the prospect of a disciplinary hearing brought by the Independent Office for Police Conduct
Mr Kaba’s parents Prosper Kaba and Helen Lumuanganu are also said to be considering suing the Met.
The family are understood to be taking legal advice which may include considering the grounds for appealing the verdict.
Members of the family appeared shocked, rocking back and forth as they watched the verdict being delivered this afternoon.
In an ongoing ordeal, Blake now faces a separate inquest into what happened, which could still be years away.
The controversial case has sparked a Home Office review about how firearms officers are held accountable and the length of time officers remain under investigation.
Last September hundreds of Metropolitan Police firearms officers handed in their weapons following the decision to charge one of their colleagues with murder.
In the wake of the mass revolt, Scotland Yard was forced to put the Army on standby amid concern that there would not be enough armed officers to keep the public safe.
A computer generated image issued by the Crown Prosecution Service of a reconstruction shown to the court at the Old Bailey of the position of two firearms officers in front of the Audi
A photo issued by the CPS of the blue Audi Q8, the vehicle Chris Kaba was in when he died
Chris Kaba’s parents Helen Lumuanganu and Prosper Kaba at the Old Bailey on October 15
Most returned to their roles, but there was widespread concern among firearms officers nationally when Blake was named ahead of trial.
The case has already had a catastrophic impact on recruitment of officers.
In February it emerged that just six people applied to be a firearms officer in Britain’s biggest force.
Becoming an armed officer has traditionally been seen as one of the most prestigious roles in policing, with between 150 and 250 hopefuls applying every time posts are advertised.
But there has been a collapse in interest for the voluntary role to bear arms to protect the public.
The Met has about 2,500 Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs), who patrol the capital 24 hours a day to protect the public from armed criminals and terrorists.
They are all volunteers and receive no extra pay.
But between April and December last year more than 250 AFOs left the unit – around one in 10 of the overall number.
Without fresh applicants, there is mounting concern that police forces will struggle to recruit and retain enough officers to keep the public safe.
The national firearms police lead has warned that Britain could be ‘sleepwalking’ into a situation where officers have to be ordered to carry guns, rather than volunteer for the specialist role.
Protesters marching to New Scotland Yard in September 2022 after the death of Chris Kaba
Forensics officers at the shooting scene in Streatham, South London, on September 6, 2022
Chief Constable Simon Chesterman fears armed policing is in the most ‘precarious and difficult’ position for years, with firearms officers increasingly questioning whether they wanted to continue.
If there aren’t enough volunteers then a change in the law may be required to mandate officers to carry guns so they can fulfil critical duties ranging from guarding Downing Street, to protecting the Royal Family and defending critical national infrastructure from a potential terrorist attack.
Fatal police shootings remain rare, with just three cases in the 18,395 police firearms operations carried out in England and Wales in the year to March 2023.
But many officers now fear they could find themselves in the dock or facing years of investigation if they decide to pull the trigger.
In one case, a Met marksman who shot dead a gangster in a foiled prison break nearly a decade ago is still yet to hear whether he will be sacked despite being cleared of committing any crime.
The marksman, known as W80, shot dead 28-year-old Jermaine Baker in a police operation in December 2015 as Baker was preparing to spring two prisoners from Wood Green Crown Court, in north London.
He was not charged in connection with the death, but the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced he should face gross misconduct hearing which is yet to happen.
Today, Blake showed no reaction as he was acquitted.
Like many firearms officers, Blake had never fired a gun at a person before the fatal incident.
The Old Bailey heard that those close to him had been hesitant about him becoming a police marksman but he felt it was ‘the best job’ in the Metropolitan Police.
It was unclear whether he still believes that today.
