Police officer cleared

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.

I can see the merit of this providing it applied to everyone, but good luck with it in these days of social media, where names will be plastered all over the place almost instantly

Even if there was a threat of prosecution for divulging details I don't know where they could even start, given the amount of filth already spouted without consequences

The jury who had access to all the evidence agreed with the police officer

Edited to add it won't matter to those who think they know better, OP - even those who haven't followed the evidence and in any case weren't there

It doesn't tally with the officer's claim that police lives were in imminent danger. They clearly weren't. He could see the car was stationary and that the driver had his hands on the steering wheel.

I would agree with you if he was holding a gun or was coming at speed. But he shot an unarmed man in the head in a stationary car.

The officer involved PC Blake is brave & a hero and we should be grateful and show support to officers like him who take on the ultimate challenges that the rest of us would run scared from.

Im the first to criticise the failings of the police but we seem to be expecting humans to think & act unlike humans which is an impossible standard. It’s not a job I would ever want to do.

He was moving the car back and forth trying to get away. The police officer thought that another officer was going to be crushed. If Kaba had stopped the car, turned off the engine and got out, he would still be alive. Why didn't he do that?

He was stationary and was blocked from behind. He couldn't move back and a police officer was standing in front of him. He wasn't driving at the police. He hit the car behind him and one car to the side.

The police said he was coming at speed but you can see from the footage that he bumped a car behind him and one to the side then came to a stop.

This all might be true but again it’s from the perspective of CCTV & with hindsight. The officer doesn’t know the motives of the driver & that the reverse bump was accidental as opposed to a sign the driver planned to drive off into him. Again split second decisions in heightened situations.

The police aren't trained to shoot unarmed civilians in the head.

I didn’t say they were…

He was stationary and was blocked from behind. He couldn't move back and a police officer was standing in front of him. He wasn't driving at the police. He hit the car behind him and one car to the side.

The police said he was coming at speed but you can see from the footage that he bumped a car behind him and one to the side then came to a stop.

Definitely police officers need more support. Armed officers are now unfortunately vital & unavoidable. It is by far one of the hardest jobs around & the fact that one day you may be required to take the life of another human in order to protect the public sits heavily on their shoulders.
Police officers are not monsters at all. There are a few who behave appallingly (as in any job/sector) but the majority are hard working, honest with an ability to remain level headed in the most harrowing of circumstances.

It is right that all deaths are scrutinized and the scrutiny is far higher for police than for anywhere else. In the NHS for example there are scandals after scandals where they seem to just brush of deaths & failings. Every move & decision by the police is rightly scrutinized.

I think the identity of these armed officers need to be protected. They need the support and funding from the government to do the job properly and they need the support of the public

RIP Chris Kaba & his death is absolutely a tragedy but he chose the consequences which ended his life.

The officer involved PC Blake is brave & a hero and we should be grateful and show support to officers like him who take on the ultimate challenges that the rest of us would run scared from.

I'm thrilled with the verdict tbh. It should never have gone to trial. I get that the family are sad that their son is dead but they should be thoroughly ashamed of who he was and what he did in life. The fact that they aren't speaks volumes. Trying to make out that he was some kind of innocent victim of police brutality is utterly laughable and reprehensible. They know the truth. I really hope the brave officer has felt how much public support there has been for him and his colleagues.

Makes you wonder if anybodys name should be released at charge stage.

Perhaps it should only be released if they are found guilty of a crime?

The C4 news report I saw was also a disgrace, showing statistics (correct) that a disproportionate number of black men are killed in police shooting. They did not say that a disproportionate number of black men are the victims of knife and gun homicide.. carried out by other black men.

Unfortunately this is a fact, and harder for the black community for obvious reasons. And it’s. For many reasons , obvious and complex, and factors which are not the fault or responsibility of black people. Short version: I’m not saying back k people are intrinsically more criminal anyone else.

But for C4 to trot out stats in a context that made it look as if this death was racist is irresponsible, IMO.

And takes focus away from the ways in which the Met do disgrace themselves with racism and misogyny in other ways.

It's clear from the footage that he was warned to stop and get out of the car and then he rammed vehicles in an attempt to drive off.

It's highly likely that had he succeeded he would have harmed the officers or passerby's. I would not want to be near that car being driven like that and it must have been scary and the officers would genuinely have feared for their lives.

It's absolutely the right decision but any loss of life is regrettable. The questions his family must be asking is "why didn't get stop and why did he ram other cars". They won't get answers so I can understand their need to blame but their anger is misdirected.

He was stationary because his car got stuck! He didn't 'stop' - he was stopped by getting caught between two cars and was revving, trying to reverse. It's not the same thing and he had a chance to stop properly. Why did he drive away?

The police aren't trained to shoot unarmed civilians in the head.

You're just parroting what the police said. He wasn't speeding at the time of the shooting, he was stationary.

I have no sympathy for criminals who end up dead. Or their relatives who have desperately changed the narrative and made said criminal out to be an ordinary citizen doing nothing wrong. I do have immense sympathy for the man who was doing his job, had to make a split second decision and has had his life ruined as a result.

Naming him surely makes him an open target now?

He wasn't armed and from the footage no one was in imminent danger. The officer who shot him stood in front of the car and shot him in the head. I thought the police were meant to disarm people, not kill them.

It’s very hard to shoot to disarm & pretty unrealistic so I don’t think they are taught this. Also people forgot it’s a high pressured situation with split second decisions.