Met Police officer who shot Chris Kaba dead ‘thought colleague was about to die’
The police marksman who shot Chris Kaba dead has told a court he opened fire because he thought a colleague was about to die.
Giving evidence for the first time at his Old Bailey trial, Martyn Blake said he was “filled with dread” when the Audi that Mr Kaba was driving moved backwards and forwards as officers surrounded the car.
The officer, formally known as NX121, fatally shot Mr Kaba as the 24-year-old was sat in the driver’s seat with both hands on the steering wheel in Streatham, southeast London, on 5 September 2022.
An operation was launched to stop the vehicle because its registration had been linked to a shooting outside a school in Brixton the night before, the court has heard.
Blake, who denies murder, said he could hear wheel-spinning and the car’s engine revving as armed officers tried to get Mr Kaba to get out of the car.
The initial follow of the Audi vehicle driven by Chris Kaba.
Pic: CPS/PA
Asked why he pulled the trigger, the Metropolitan Police officer said: “I had a genuine belief that there was an imminent threat to life, I thought one or more of my colleagues was about to die.
“I thought I was the only person with effective firearms cover at the time.
“If I hadn’t acted, I thought one of my colleagues would be dead. I felt I had a duty to protect them at the time.”
Blake said he aimed at Mr Kaba’s central body mass, as officers are trained, and acknowledged such a shot could be fatal.
But asked if he had intended to kill Mr Kaba, the 40-year-old defendant replied: “No.”
“Every officer in the department… thinks it will never happen to them,” he said.
“You hope it won’t happen to you.”
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Before Blake gave evidence, defence barrister Patrick Gibbs KC told the jury that prosecutors have suggested either the defendant had a mistaken belief about risk, or took an unlawful decision to kill, but that there was a third possibility that he was right about the risk.
He told the jury the marksman opened fire because “he simply and honestly believed that he needed to”.
“Why else would he?” Mr Gibbs asked the jury. “Why else would anyone?
“He believed in the moment that the only way to negate a real and imminent threat to his colleagues was to do that momentous thing.”
The trial continues.
Large groups of youths have been throwing fireworks, bricks and bottles at police in Edinburgh, during a night of disorder across the city.
Video posted online shows officers responding to Bonfire Night incidents in the Sighthill, Niddrie, Gracemount and Gilmerton areas.
Riot police have been seen on the streets of Edinburgh, wearing helmets and carrying shields, as fireworks were lit and exploded around them.
Footage from Gilmerton, a suburb in the southeast of the city, also showed burning debris in the street as youths rode on bicycles.
Police in Edinburgh were deployed to several areas, including the suburb of Gilmerton
Police were given extra stop and search powers in certain areas following “intelligence” about planned disorder and firework-related crime.
Superintendent Neil Wilson said: “We are currently responding to incidents of disorder involving large groups of youths throwing a range of objects, including fireworks, bricks and bottles, across Edinburgh.”
A helicopter was also deployed as part of Operation Moonbeam, aimed at supporting local police in tackling fireworks-related offences.
Officers used shields to take cover from fireworks
Meanwhile Lothian Buses withdrew all services from the Niddrie area for safety reasons.
Niddrie was also the scene of disorder on 31 October, when police and public transport vehicles were pelted with fireworks and bricks.
Youths rode on bicycles near officers, as debris burned in the street
On Tuesday, officers in Glasgow seized a “significant quantity” of fireworks from a van in the Drumchapel area which it is alleged were being “sold to the general public, including children”.
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Scotland’s first fireworks control zones (FCZ) are in place in parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow from 1 to 10 November.
Those convicted of setting off a firework within a FCZ face a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in jail.
Meanwhile, it appears the famous Lewes bonfire night celebrations in East Sussex went off without incident after police urged people not to attend because of overcrowding concerns.
Effigies of Nigel Farage and Paula Vennells were burnt in Lewes Pic: PA
The so-called “bonfire capital of the world” is famous for burning effigies of controversial politicians and celebrities.
This year they included former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
The Queen is unwell with a chest infection and has withdrawn from her engagements this week, Buckingham Palace has announced.
A palace spokesperson said Camilla’s doctors “have advised a short period of rest” and added that “with great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week”.
They added the Queen “very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal”.
“She apologises to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result,” they said.
It is understood the Queen is currently resting at home and is under doctor’s supervision.
Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, has stepped in on Camilla’s behalf to attend the annual opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.
The Queen has also withdrawn from a Buckingham Palace reception for Olympic and Paralympic athletes hosted by the King on the same evening.
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Camilla recently returned from an overseas tour of Australia and Samoa. No further details regarding her illness or treatment have been released.
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