Page 28 | Police officer cleared

Toomanywars · 2024-10-21T17:39:27+00:00

Martin Blake police officer today cleared by a jury of unlawful killing of Chris Kaba Should police officers get more support. Perhaps not release name until after trial or inquiry.

herecomesautumn · 21/10/2024 22:46

Astrabees · 21/10/2024 20:08

There is no integrity in the Metropolitan Police. Whether they are driving or using firearms the cavalier attitude, total disregard for safety and trying to cover their tracks afterwards is very clear and totally disgusting. There are a long list of cases - Jean Charles de Menezes, William Cameron, Heather Smedley and many more who have lost their lives to incompetence and worse. The organisation that nurtured Wayne Cousins and the officers who behaved so appallingly to the bodies of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman is not one that any of us can rely on to uphold standards of even common decency. Chris Kaba and his family did not get justice.

They didn't get what they wanted, but justice was done

Ramblomatic · 21/10/2024 22:45

JayJayEl · 21/10/2024 22:15

Of course they don't. Absolutely not. But you can stop/disarm an individual without using lethal force. In fact, de-escalation instead of lethal force is what our country prides itself on (in comparison to countries like the USA, for example). Murder/manslaughter is murder/manslaughter.

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But in this scenario the de-escalation options had been exhausted.

They'd attempted to pull him over (non-lethal), gave him multiple commands that - if obeyed - would have resulted in (at worst) a rough dragging out of a car and a knee in his back.

At the point where he has multiple firearms pointed at him, and is revving a car, what non-lethal options do the officers have available?

(Please don't say shooting him in the arm/shooting the tires etc)

HarrisObviously · 21/10/2024 22:45

NewGreenDuck · 21/10/2024 20:14

Chris Kaba was a criminal, he had a record for firearms offences. He was in a gang who conspired to commit murder. He wasn't an angel. He was driving a car that was suspected of being involved in a shooting. None of it looks good. He didn't stop the car, he didn't turn the engine off, he clearly wanted out. He was the architect of his own downfall.

This sums it up exactly @Astrabees
His family should be ashamed of his criminal behaviour.
He should have stopped when he was told to and not rammed cars trying to escape.

Totallymessed · 21/10/2024 22:45

So here we go. It was an execution. God help the local community.

Astrabees · 21/10/2024 22:43

We don’t have the death penalty in this country, so shocked people are trying to justify his execution as he had previous convictions and was being awkward to the police.

Totallymessed · 21/10/2024 22:43

herecomesautumn · 21/10/2024 22:38

It's always good to hear from people who live in, and have knowledge of the area

Justice was done but I see the family aren't happy

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Sadly, the family will have people like @username35890 telling them that their son was the victim of a racist execution, so what hope have they got of coming to terms with what happened.

crackfoxy · 21/10/2024 22:41

Notsuchafattynow · 21/10/2024 18:54

I'd really recommend a podcast called The Trial - Officer Blake. It has summaries from each couple of days from the trial. Very balanced reporting.

The car Chris K was driving was suspected of being involved in a shooting the night before. Car was stopped abd surrounded but CK was revving engine in a way it appeared he was about to push through the block which would have put lives of other officers at risk.

It took 17 seconds from start to finish.

*no suggestion CK was guilty of the shooting the previous night (from me).

Have you got a link for this podcast please I can't find it. Thx

herecomesautumn · 21/10/2024 22:38

MilletOver · 21/10/2024 18:59

I live in the area.

It is hugely unfortunate, tragic, that he was shot dead given that he was found to be unarmed. However understandable or mistaken in the circs.

It is exasperating that Chris Kaba will now be a hero in gang culture.

He was the alleged gunman in a shooting earlier https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/dancefloor-shooting-hackney-east-london-b1152735.html and the car he was driving had been involved in a firearms incident in Brixton the night before. Young people my Ds and his friends knew had their lives ruined or seriously impacted by the local gang activities of Kaba and co. They make life dangerous for young people: postcode wars, gang violence, co-ercing them into dealing etc. When the seige happened and his name was released all the young men in my (successful, law abiding, peaceful) son’s networks knew who he was, what he did and what he was involved in.

We have to have accountability, we cannot have police or anyone else shooting unlawfully. I wasn’t in court and didn’t see the close up videos or hear the full evidence, but trust the jury made the right decision.

But had the officer been found guilty or not guilty, either way Kaba will be held up as a martyr / hero by many people, and this is not good. Whatever happened, I wish the seige could have been ended without his death - to avoid another senseless death and to avoid the fact that this could make it even harder for the police to do their job.

Edited

It's always good to hear from people who live in, and have knowledge of the area

Justice was done but I see the family aren't happy

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:36

Ramblomatic · 21/10/2024 22:27

What would you call training firearms officers to shoot somebody once in the head or multiple times center mass?

Opening fire is the absolute last resort for armed police in the UK (other countries have much lower thresholds), but when a trigger is pulled, it's pulled with the expectation that the person in front of you is dying.

Stop arguing about something you know nothing about with someone who does.

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*You're embarrassing yourself. The Met does not have a shoot to kill policy.The official policy says firearms officers “shoot to incapacitate”.

Ramblomatic · 21/10/2024 22:36

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:25

He drove at police. He then revved his engine with an officer in front of his car.

Watch the footage. He reversed into a police car, drove forward and hit another police car and came to a stop. When he was driving, at a very slow speed, there were no police in front of his car. The police officer then moved in front of his car and shot him in the head. He was not driving towards the officer at the time.

'Who he is' is not relevant to the situation, and the action that was taken.

People are saying he had previous therefore the police were correct in shooting him. Yet the police had no idea who he was.

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Watch the footage.

I have.

He reversed into a police car, drove forward and hit another police car and came to a stop. When he was driving, at a very slow speed...

The speed he was driving at was irrelevant. There were police all around his car (one got their glove/gauntlet stuck in the door handle trying to open it) and a crush injury can happen at 1mph.

...there were no police in front of his car. The police officer then moved in front of his car and shot him in the head.

So there was a police officer in front of his car.

He was not driving towards the officer at the time.

So? He was revving his engine. He had a bunch of options, the only two stupid ones were revving and driving at one of three people with guns pointed at his head.

People are saying he had previous therefore the police were correct in shooting him. Yet the police had no idea who he was.

Who cares what people are saying? He wasn't shot because of his previous convictions, he was shot because an armed police officer judged that he was a threat to life.

Bondii · 21/10/2024 22:35

username35890 · 21/10/2024 20:28

If he can't do his job without shooting unarmed civilians in the head, he shouldn't be doing it.

I can't believe how pro police people are. All the unarmed men shot by the police have been black. Investigations have found the police to be institutionally racist and it seems to be chock full of abusers, but apparently they can't do anything wrong.

The officer lied, he said that the car was coming towards him at speed, we can all see it was stationary. He said there was an imminent threat to life - there wasn't.

He could see -he didn't need CCTV or any other evidence - that the man had his hands on the wheel and the car was stationary.

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I am not pro police.

I hadn't heard of this case before tonight, and when I first saw the video, I thought it happened far too quickly to be considered a lawful killing.

However, since learning more details, I have to say that I don't think the policeman was particularly in the wrong. If it's true that the car was linked to a previous recent shooting, the policeman would have already been on edge, not able to predict what the driver may do to him. The driver was trying to escape the scene, indicating guilt of some kind. Why didn't he stop if he had nothing to hide? The policeman was most likely very fearful in that situation.

If I was suddenly jumped upon by multiple armed policeman telling me to stop my car, I would be terrified and instantly stop and do whatever they asked, confused and scared af.

The fact he didn't speaks volumes.

AdviceNeeded2024 · 21/10/2024 22:34

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:26

Indeed.

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I’m sorry but whatever your opinion on the shooting of Chris Kaba, this is an abhorrent comment. What about PC Andrew Harper.

Bigearringsbigsmile · 21/10/2024 22:34

It could have been my uncle Bob in the car. It wouldn't matter. If he was driving a car that had been used in a firearm murder the night before, refused to stop when ordered to by armed police and then used his car to repeatedly ram the police, then uncle Bob would have been asking to be shot!

Totallymessed · 21/10/2024 22:32

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:26

Indeed.

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Do you honestly think a police officer should just allow someone to run them over rather than defending themself? Is that something you'd be prepared to do yourself, or is it just other people that you think should be prepared to die when they're at work?

mids2019 · 21/10/2024 22:32

Correct decision and I hope the police officer involved can get on with the rest of his life now.

I think we have to question why the CPS in retrospect felt they had a realistic chance of conviction given the evidence in court? Did the CPS feel 'something has to be seen to be done' given racial politics in the capital? We're there those in the CPS worried about accusations of a racist cover up if they hadn't proceeded?

I think there has been a reluctance for the left wing press to highlight the gang land links of this individual and there was a narrative sown of this being another proof of an institutionally racist met. If the jury had somehow found the other way then we would be having a public enquiry and perhaps another BLM moment.

Totallymessed · 21/10/2024 22:28

JayJayEl · 21/10/2024 22:19

Not to mention, people should face prosecution and punishment for any wrongdoing. Not death.

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Well obviously, yes. I'm sure everyone would rather he had faced prosecution rather than being shot. I'm certain the officer acquitted today would rather that too.

rainfallpurevividcat · 21/10/2024 22:28

EclipseoftheHeart1 · 21/10/2024 22:20

I agree the met is racist and sexist and rotten but I also believe justice was done today and the car occupant dint follow instructions.

Exactly, I don't think I've ever defended the police on MN before but this case was decided correctly.

Ramblomatic · 21/10/2024 22:27

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:14

You need to inform the Met because they don't agree:

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) does not have and never has had a `shoot to kill' policy.

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What would you call training firearms officers to shoot somebody once in the head or multiple times center mass?

Opening fire is the absolute last resort for armed police in the UK (other countries have much lower thresholds), but when a trigger is pulled, it's pulled with the expectation that the person in front of you is dying.

Stop arguing about something you know nothing about with someone who does.

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:26

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 21/10/2024 22:22

Even better, police officers should let themselves get run over so as not to offend anyone.

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Indeed.

Hyperbowl · 21/10/2024 22:25

Hunglikeapolevaulter · 21/10/2024 22:24

I am genuinely of the opinion you’re just on a wind up because no one is this obtuse in real life.

It's not that, there's a couple of posters on here that have a particular agenda of seeing racism everywhere, to the extent that they'll attempt to turn a dead criminal into a victim.

I am simply baffled by their purposeful distortion of the facts to suit their warped narrative.

username35890 · 21/10/2024 22:25

Ramblomatic · 21/10/2024 22:17

No one attacked the police, he didn't drive at any police officers or hit any police officers. He wasn't aggressive and didn't say anything.

He drove at police. He then revved his engine with an officer in front of his car.

Just like you or I don't have to wait for someone to punch us first if we feel threatened, an officer doesn't have to wait for someone to but hit/crushed/run over before opening fire.

Who he is is important when people are saying that he had previous convictions. The police didn't know who he was ergo they wouldn't have known of any previous convictions.

'Who he is' is not relevant to the situation, and the action that was taken. What do you think the officer who shot him would have done if Kaba had a gun in each hand and NWAs 'Fuck the Police' blaring out of the radio, shot him more?

People are bringing up his previous because it means they have no sympathy for a little gangsta going out like a gangsta. And nor should they.

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He drove at police. He then revved his engine with an officer in front of his car.

Watch the footage. He reversed into a police car, drove forward and hit another police car and came to a stop. When he was driving, at a very slow speed, there were no police in front of his car. The police officer then moved in front of his car and shot him in the head. He was not driving towards the officer at the time.

'Who he is' is not relevant to the situation, and the action that was taken.

People are saying he had previous therefore the police were correct in shooting him. Yet the police had no idea who he was.

Hunglikeapolevaulter · 21/10/2024 22:24

I am genuinely of the opinion you’re just on a wind up because no one is this obtuse in real life.

It's not that, there's a couple of posters on here that have a particular agenda of seeing racism everywhere, to the extent that they'll attempt to turn a dead criminal into a victim.

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 21/10/2024 22:22

username35890 · 21/10/2024 21:28

You're right, the police should just execute people they don't like. He didn't have a gun.

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Even better, police officers should let themselves get run over so as not to offend anyone.

EclipseoftheHeart1 · 21/10/2024 22:20

I agree the met is racist and sexist and rotten but I also believe justice was done today and the car occupant dint follow instructions.

Hunglikeapolevaulter · 21/10/2024 22:20

He was stationary when he was shot. The police had no idea who he was when they stopped him and no idea of any record. They shot an unarmed man in the head. I couldn't hear the car revving in the video.

https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1848393888853065808

If you can look at this and not see a life-threatening situation for the police then you're really just seeing what you want to see, not what's actually in front of you.

x.com

https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1848393888853065808