Chris Kaba: Family of man shot dead by police wants charging decision

Prosper and Helen Kaba do not want to wait any longer for answers

Parents of a man shot dead by police in south London said they needed to hear if the officer involved will face criminal charges "without delay".

Chris Kaba, 24, died the day after he was hit by a single gunshot in Streatham Hill on 5 September 2022.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has had the file of evidence since March.

"We need a decision," his mother Helen said. "Not in one week, not in one month, we need it as soon as possible," his father Prosper added.

"If he [the officer] was a civilian, he would have been in jail the next day," Mr Kaba said.

"He killed Chris, he killed the family as well. There is no life for us.

"Everyone is missing his smile, everyone is missing his laugh, everyone is missing his jokes."

"I feel so empty, I need answers," Mrs Kaba added. "I need them [the CPS] to tell me why and how."

The case file was put together by the police watchdog. The Met Police said it "continues to fully support the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation".

Chris Kaba, who was shot by police in September 2022, had been due to become a father

Mr Kaba was killed after the car he was driving was followed by an unmarked police car with no lights or sirens.

He then turned into Kirkstall Gardens, a narrow residential street, where he was blocked by a marked police car, the two vehicles collided and a marksman fired one shot through the windscreen, hitting Mr Kaba in the head.

It later emerged that the Audi the 24-year-old was driving, which did not belong to him, had been linked by police to a firearms incident the previous day.

The construction worker was months away from becoming a father when he died.

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Deborah Coles, director of the charity Inquest that supports bereaved families, said: "It is simply unacceptable we do not yet have a charging decision.

"This exacerbates the family's trauma and grieving process."

'Speculation not helpful'

Lawyer Daniel Machover, of Hickman and Rose which represents the family, said: "I am appalled that, after the IOPC took almost seven months to complete its investigation, the CPS has failed to complete its task within a further five months.

"In what other comparable suspected homicide case involving firearms discharged by a civilian does the CPS consider it appropriate to take so long to make a charging decision?"

The CPS said it did not provide timescales for charging decisions and prosecutors were "carefully considering the file of evidence".

A CPS spokeswoman said: "As always, we will make that decision independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test."

Chris Kaba had a bright future, according to his mum

According to Inquest, since 1990 there have been 1,869 deaths in or following police custody or contact in England and Wales.

There has only been one conviction of a police officer in that time - West Mercia Police constable Benjamin Monk who was jailed in 2021 for the manslaughter of former footballer Dalian Atkinson.

The Met Police said "it wouldn't be right for us to comment further about the circumstances that led to Mr Kaba's death".

A spokesperson added: "Speculation is not helpful. Any fatal police shooting is subject to enormous scrutiny; this is entirely right, so families and the wider public can be reassured officers are investigated and held to account.

"Our officers expect and understand this."

Update 13 September 2023: This article has been updated to add that Inquest has also recorded deaths following police contact.

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