Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral for a man who was shot dead by armed police in south London. Father-to-be Chris Kaba, 24, was unarmed when he was shot through a car windscreen in Streatham Hill on 5 September following a police pursuit.
The Met Police officer who fired the fatal shot has been suspended and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating. His cousin, Jefferson Bosela, told about 1,000 people at the funeral in Croydon “Today, we lay our son to rest”, adding: “justice for Chris will prevailn opened and adjourned.
Mr Kaba’s family has accused the Met of racism and have said it took too long for the force to suspend the police marksman. They have called for criminal charges to be brought.
The IOPC is investigating the shooting as a potential homicide and said its inquiry was set to last between six and nine months, something Mr Kaba’s family said they were “alarmed” at.
Last month, the inquest hearing at Inner South London Coroner’s Court was told construction worker Mr Kaba was driving an Audi that had been linked by police to a firearms incident the previous day, although his name was not included in the briefing given to officers.
An automatic number plate recognition marker had been placed on it.
At 21:52 BST, about 15 minutes before the shooting, a pursuit began by officers in an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens.
After driving the Audi down Kirkstall Gardens, Mr Kaba was blocked by a marked police car and there was contact between the Audi and police vehicles, the court heard.
An officer standing to the front of the Audi then fired a single shot through the windscreen, which hit Mr Kaba in the head.
He was taken to hospital, but died soon after midnight on 6 September. A provisional cause of death has been given as a “gunshot wound to the head
Source: BBC
In other news – Dehenna Davison to stand down as Bishop Auckland MP at election
Dehenna Davison, the Conservative MP for Bishop Auckland, has announced she intends to stand down at the next general election.
The 29-year-old was elected as the County Durham constituency’s first ever Tory MP in 2019. Levelling Up minister Ms Davison is the fourth Tory MP to announce their departure this week. Learn more
