UK Police Officer Acquitted in Chris Kabba Shooting Could Still Be Fired

Facts

• Following a three-week trial, a jury on Monday found Metropolitan Police (Met) Sgt. Martyn Blake not guilty of the murder of Chris Kaba. Blake fatally shot Kaba after he drove his Audi at officers during an investigation into the car's link to two firearms cases.^[1]
• After the verdict, the IOPC reaffirmed that it still has a role to “independently investigate the circumstances” surrounding the shooting. The body’s website states that investigations may end in recommendations such as further training, misconduct meetings, or gross misconduct hearings.^[2][3]
• Following the acquittal, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said that it recognizes the stress felt by both Kaba's family and the officers under investigation. Blake will reportedly undergo further training, but could still face action by the IOPC.^[4][2]
• This follows the resurfacing of video footage of Kaba shooting a man at a nightclub just days before he was shot by police. Reports also emerged Tuesday that Kaba's former '67' gang put a £10K bounty on Blake's head, forcing the officer into hiding.^[1][5]
• Secretary Cooper has since ordered all police defendants remain anonymous until their court cases are complete, as was the case for Blake until his acquittal.^[6][7]
• Cooper's office will also allow civilians to refer police for investigation, require the College of Policing to create a 'lessons learned' database when police action results in injury or death, and require immediate firing for officers found guilty of 'certain criminal offenses.'^[6]

Sources: ^[1]The Telegraph, ^[2]Policeconduct (a), ^[3]Policeconduct (b), ^[4]Express.co.uk, ^[5]LBC, ^[6]Sky News and ^[7]BBC News.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Voice Online. The acquittal of Sgt. Blake should have never happened, and the only hope that remains is that the IPOC can at least provide some justice by relieving him of his duties. Chris Kaba was the victim of a racist officer who recklessly chose to take the life of an unarmed Black man. The government must take this opportunity to make amends for its decades-long history of treating Black lives with less care than others.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. The loudest voices in this matter are the most uninformed, as the facts of this case show. The police were investigating a prior shooting, and when the cops found him driving a vehicle linked to previous serious crime, Kaba chose to ram it repeatedly into a police car rather than stop driving. Kaba was armed with a car and was attempting to use lethal force against police, which is what ultimately led to his death.