Chris Kaba allegedly shot man in nightclub days before death

Details about the background of Chris Kaba, the man shot dead by a police firearms officer in south London, can now be reported.

Mr Kaba was shot in the head during an armed vehicle stop in Streatham in September 2022.

Now it can be reported that he had been implicated in a shooting at a nightclub in Hackney, east London, in August 2022.

He was a rapper who performed under the names Madix or Mad Itch and was part of the 67 gang, a UK drill group and infamous gang.

The jury in the murder trial of firearms officer Martyn Blake, 40, was not told about Mr Kaba’s criminal history, details of which were revealed in a pre-trial court hearing held last month.

Mr Blake was cleared of murder by a jury at the Old Bailey on Monday, a verdict Mr Kaba’s family said was “painful proof that our lives are not valued by the system”.

The judge has now lifted reporting restrictions in place during the trial on details about Mr Kaba’s background.

The jury was told how the Audi Q8 Mr Kaba was driving on the night he was shot dead had been linked to a firearms incident in Brixton the previous day.

An automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) marker had been placed on the car, which alerted the police to it.

However, officers did not know Mr Kaba was at the wheel.

Mr Blake denied intending to kill the 24-year-old – who was not carrying a firearm – and told the trial he believed one of his colleagues could be killed by Mr Kaba’s car as he tried to get away from the police stop.

The victim of the Hackney nightclub shooting survived being shot in both legs. It was alleged that Kaba was the gunman.

Three other men have already been convicted over their involvement in that shooting and are currently in prison.

In April they were sentenced to 10 years, nine years, and five years and six months respectively.

Reporting restrictions also prevented the media from publishing details of Mr Kaba’s other criminal involvement – including previous convictions dating back to his early teen years.

Those include convictions for affray.

Mr Kaba, a construction worker who was due to become a father, had been followed by police on the day he was shot.

After being boxed in by police cars, he drove backwards and forwards trying to ram his way free – Mr Blake said this made him believe one of his colleagues would be killed, and he opened fire to stop the car, the jury heard.

Mr Kaba died from a single gunshot wound to the forehead.

On Monday, Mr Kaba’s family said they were devastated by the verdict, and that the acquittal of Mr Blake “wasn’t just a failure for our family, but for all those affected by police violence”.

About 150 people held a vigil outside the Old Bailey on Monday evening, some holding signs with slogans including “this is not justice” and “police are perpetrators”.

Sheeda Queen, a cousin of Mr Kaba, and a member of the Justice for Chris campaign group, described “a deep pain of injustice, adding to the unbearable sorrow”.

Another campaigner, Kayza Rose, said the outcome “reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence”.

She added: “No-one can be safe while the police can kill with impunity.

“This verdict is not the end. It only strengthens our resolve.”

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