Metropolitan police officer Martyn Blake was acquitted in a murder case, fuelling mistrust of Britain’s largest police force among many in the city’s Black communities, according to AP News.
He fatally shot Black motorist Chris Kaba two years ago but was acquitted by a London jury on Monday. Kaba, 24, was reportedly unarmed but drove the vehicle involved in the shooting a day earlier.
The motorist was shot in the head after the vehicle was pinned between two police cars in the Streatham Hill neighbourhood on 5 September 2022. Blake fired one round through the windscreen of the Audi because he believed the lives of his fellow officers were in danger when Kaba began ramming police cars in an attempt to break free.
Prosecutors said Blake misjudged the risk to his co-workers, exaggerated the threat in statements after the shooting and aimed for Kaba’s head. Blake, however, denied the allegations.
The shooting renewed allegations of racism against the Metropolitan Police, which was struggling to regain credibility after a series of scandals and an independent review.
The rare decision to prosecute the suspended Blake sparked a backlash from some of his colleagues, who had received special firearms training and refused to carry guns in solidarity. For a short time, the police were forced to seek reinforcements from neighbouring departments and the military.
The jury at London’s Central Criminal Court deliberated for about three hours before finding Blake not guilty. Kaba’s family said after the hearing that they would continue to fight for justice.
The not guilty verdict leaves us with the deep pain of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow we have felt since Chris was killed. Chris was stolen from us, and this decision shows his life – and many others like him – does not matter to the system. Our son deserved better.
However, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley stated that Blake paid “a huge personal and professional sacrifice” for “a split-second decision on what he believed was necessary to protect his colleagues and to protect London.”
Another officer said he would have shot if Blake had not done so, with another saying he was a split-second away from pulling the trigger.
