Chris Kaba: Met Police officer accused of murder over fatal shooting is named

The 24-year-old had been due to become a father when he was killed in Streatham Hill

A firearms officer who shot dead Chris Kaba has been named for the first time.

The 40-year-old officer charged with the murder of Mr Kaba had his identity revealed as Martyn Blake by a judge at the Old Bailey on Friday.

Mr Kaba, who had been due to become a father, was killed by a single gunshot to the head on 5 September 2022 in Streatham Hill, south London.

Rapper Chris Kaba, 24, was shot dead in London (PA)

The 24-year-old, who was a construction worker and also performed as a rapper under the alias Madix or Mad Itch, was shot through the windscreen of the Audi Q8 he was driving following a “pursuit” with Metropolitan Police officers.

It later emerged that the vehicle Mr Kaba was driving – which did not belong to him – had been linked to a firearms incident the previous day.

Members of Mr Kaba’s family were in court at the Old Bailey on Friday as the officer was publicly named for the first time. Appearing in the dock, Blake spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, and entered a not guilty plea to the charge of murder. He was released on bail and is due to face trial on 2 October.

Previously known only as NX121, Blake was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service in September last year following a review of evidence provided by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which carried out an investigation.

At a hearing at the Old Bailey in October, Recorder of London Mark Lucraft KC ruled the police marksman would be publicly named the following year as doing so posed no immediate risk to his life.

Following multiple extensions, the anonymity order has now been lifted by the judge at the same court. The armed officer’s name and date of birth can be reported, but neither his home address nor any image of him can be published.

Kaba’s death sparked protests across the UK (Getty)

No on-duty police officer has ever been found guilty of murder or manslaughter in relation to a police shooting, despite critical evidence arising from inquests, inquiries, and investigations, according to the charity Inquest.

Deborah Coles, director of Inquest, said: “Police cannot and should not be above the law. Accountability for police officers and forces involved in death, even where evidence of criminality and wrongdoing is identified, is extremely rare. In any other murder trial, the accused would be publicly named. This case is no different. We welcome today’s decision.”

Responding to news of Mr Blake’s naming, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour’s MP for Streatham, wrote on X/Twitter: “My thoughts and prayers are with Chris’s friends and family as their fight for justice continues.”

The death of Mr Kaba sparked protests across the UK, as Black communities expressed concern over the fatal shooting.

Mr Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu has repeatedly called for answers, with a rally of hundreds led by his family outside the headquarters of the Met Police among the demonstrations held.

In a statement issued following the judge’s decision to lift the anonymity order last year, Mr Kaba’s family thanked the court for “working in the public interest of open justice”, adding: “We must be allowed to know the name of the man who shot and killed our much-loved son, brother and fiance.”

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said in a statement at the time: “I recognise that for officers this decision will be hugely concerning, and that the impact of this and recent cases is felt right across armed policing and beyond.”

He added that the Met acknowledged the court’s judgment, saying: “We take seriously the open justice principle.”

This is the 12th murder and/or manslaughter charge to have been brought against an on-duty police officer involved in a death since 1990, and the fourth relating to a police shooting. Only one of these prosecutions has resulted in an officer being found guilty of manslaughter, following the death of Dalian Atkinson in 2016.