The IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), a body responsible for handling complaints against police officers in England and Wales, published an on October 4th report about the night Chris Kaba was shot dead by a police officer.
Chris Kaba – previously part of drill rap group 67 – was shot dead on the evening of September 5, 2022 after being chased by a police car for almost 15 minutes. According to the IOPC, the only suspicion was the car he was in. The Audi was said to have been involved in a firearms incident the day before. However, Chris Kaba was not mentioned in the briefing.
According to the report, the investigation into the already suspended police officer has begun and is expected to take around six to nine months.
public reaction
When the incident became known, hundreds of citizens protested. The case is of public interest, particularly in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement, as it remains to be clarified whether racism played a role.
Demonstrators called for justice for 23-year-old Chris Kaba, chanting “No Justice – No Peace”.
Rapper Stormzy also supported her: “Go on, the family needs you. I ask you to be persistent.”
The course of the evening
The IOPC describes the evening like this:
“At 9:53 p.m. the Audi that Chris Kaba was in was seen by parked police officers. These were in a civilian car and were therefore not recognizable.
The police officers pursued him until 10:07 p.m. when Chris Kaba turned left and encountered another police car that was not in civilian clothes and was clearly recognizable as such.
Chris Kaba was brought to a halt. The police officers in the police car to be recognized got out and approached him. One of them was the one who shot Chris Kaba.
According to previous evidence, only one shot was fired and Kaba’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The murdered rapper is said to have been unarmed.”