Chris Kaba - why was there a prosecution?

[whenemmafallsinlove]

I have only seen the recent coverage but it seems undisputed that this man was in a car involved in a violent crime, he had a history of involvement in violent crime and in being stopped he used the car as a weapon to try and get away which endangered everybody around him including the police.
So was the potential crime the amount of force used? Because otherwise it seems hard to understand and I can completely appreciate why so many officers laid down arms as a result.
Please explain!

They probably thought it would be best to stop people just yelling POLICE CORRUPTION

Yes I don’t understand this. I also don’t understand why it wasn’t at most manslaughter and not murder?

Because he intentionally shot him to stop him knowing that might mean killing him

@purplebeansprouts but his intention was to stop him not to kill him. That’s why I was unclear.

but in any case I don’t think he should have been charged and I think it was politically motivated.

A highly trained weapons officer shot a man in the forehead at close range.

His intention was 100% to kill him. The question is whether the officer used reasonable force.

If you want the police to be above and beyond the law, be very very careful what you wish for.

They threw him under the bus to appease those who shout the loudest.

Because we do not have the death penalty in this country, let alone extrajudicial execution, and therefore nothing that you have mentioned should have led to his death. RIP to a man who should still be alive.

This is why British police officers don't want to be routinely armed, there isn't generally a need for it. This trial should never have happened, and this isn't America, campaigners would do well to remember that.

Because whatever he may or may not have done, he had both hands on the steering wheel and was shot in the head at point blank range? Summary execution wasn't allowed in this country last time I checked.

RIP?

I think it's been reported today that he was on a manslaughter charge with three other gangsters who are now serving jail time. He would have been in jail for a very long time if he hadn't been shot himself.

Don't be silly. Using words like "execution" are totally at odds with what the judicial process ruled.

It was a lawful killing. Calling it an execution suggest he was a somebody.

@sprigatito but the car was the threat? So his hands on the steering wheel does not mean that he was not a threat.

it very clearly wasn’t an “execution”. The whole thing happened in 17 seconds. It was a response to a threat of harm to others.

You can’t possibly know he 100% intended to kill him. On the witness stand he said he was aiming to shoot him in the chest, was the intent to kill? Who knows? And also it’s not really relevant as the charge of murder includes that there must be “intent to kill or cause grievous bodily harm”, which I think we can all agree shooting someone would fall under that definition, regardless of whether he actually intended to kill him or not.

The jury threw the case out. End of story. Except that the officer and his family have been through two years of distress for which they should be compensated. If the CPS decided to prosecute to avoid claims of racism they need to grow some backbone in my opinion.

Then you disable the car, you don't shoot the driver in the head. I know it's MN culture to swoon at authority figures and regard criminals as subhuman, but personally I would prefer not to live in a society where the police can blow people away with impunity and everyone just shrugs and says "well, he was scum anyway".

I feel sorry for the officer for having to have made the decision but equally for having his name out in the public especially given he's been exonerated

Chris kaba might well have been a gang member and he is alleged to have shot someone the week before his own death. But we don't have the death penalty in this country, we don't take a life for an alleged life.
The jury weren't told about Kabas background or alleged crimes so as not to sway their decision on the issue in hand, which was, was shooting him in the head reasonable force. They decided, I'd like to assume due to intelligence that was available to the police and seen by the jury, that it was.

The officer obviously knew there was a very high chance of death, and you're right its irrelevant.

It really is whether that level of force is justified. The jury obviously thought it was. That's why we have the criminal justice system.

As discussed at length on the other thread, please advise how you suggest disabling a two tonne, high power vehicle which the suspect is using as a battering ram and refusing to get out of?

Can I ask how you disable a car with a man aiming it at other police officers with the suspicion that the driver was wanting to ram them out of the way? I would love to know how you would do that.

It's an arse covering exercise. Nobody in the CPS wanted to be the one to say "no, we believe this was clearly a legitimate use of defence” and come up against accusations of racism. It’s easier to just pass it along the chain and if it falls down at court, they’ve been seen to not have been racist or 'covering up' the shooting of an unarmed black man. Basically "we've done our bit, and we can take criticism from the Police about the decision later, it's better than facing public accusations and instigating protests about racism.”

There has been a completely one-sided presentation in the media about this case and the family's grief until it came out today that Kaba was a violent thug. No tears need be shed for him in my opinion. The CPS needs to grow some backbone when faced with racism claims.

The poor officer has been through a ridiculous political process

He is now in hiding with a bounty on his head

And is still being investigated by other organisations

I’m disgusted and appalled on his behalf

I wonder if those protesting would do the same again knowing what a danger to society this man was!!

The streets are safer now that this man is no longer on them. I'm glad the officer was acquitted.