Met Police firearms officer who killed Chris Kaba has misconduct proceedings against him dropped
The decision comes nearly four years after Mr Blake fatally shot 24-year-old Mr Kaba in the head
The Metropolitan Police officer who fatally shot Chris Kaba will not face disciplinary proceedings, the police watchdog has confirmed.
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Firearms officer Sergeant Martyn Blake, known during proceedings as NX121, was cleared of murder at the Old Bailey last year after a jury unanimously acquitted him.
On Wednesday, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had decided to withdraw all gross misconduct proceedings - nearly four years after Mr Blake shot 24-year-old Mr Kaba in the head.
Mr Kaba was killed after he drove towards officers in an attempt to smash through a roadblock in Streatham, south London, in September 2022.
The decision follows a change in the law on how police use-of-force cases are assessed.
Read more: I was there when Chris Kaba died. The NX121 ruling lets us firearms officers get on with the job
Read more: Police marksman who shot Chris Kaba will not face disciplinary probe
Since 30 June, misconduct allegations involving force have been judged using the criminal law test, rather than the previous civil test.
The IOPC had initially ruled that Mr Blake should face a gross misconduct hearing - prompting a number of firearms officers to hand in their weapons in protest.
It later paused the process while the Government changed the regulations.
IOPC Director Amanda Rowe said: “Our thoughts remain with Chris Kaba’s family and friends and everyone impacted by his death.”
She said the watchdog had considered representations from Mr Kaba’s family, Sergeant Blake and the Met, and found “no exceptional circumstances” to continue disciplinary action.
A coroner will now decide whether an inquest will take place into Mr Kaba’s death.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley welcomed the decision, saying it ended “almost four years of uncertainty” for the officer and his family.
He said: “Today’s decision finally brings to an end almost four years of uncertainty for NX121, his family and the wider firearms command, with all the considerable worry and stress that has brought.
“We also recognise the profound impact on Chris Kaba’s family, who continue to grieve their loss.”
He said the IOPC’s decision should be “a milestone moment to reset a police accountability system that is out of balance”.
He added: “No police officer is above the law, but we have been clear the system holding police to account is broken.
“I worry about the lack of support officers face for doing their best, but most of all I worry for the public. As I have said before, the more we crush the spirit of good officers, the less they can fight crime.”
On the night Mr Kaba died, police had followed and penned in the Audi he was driving because it had been linked to three previous firearms incidents in five months.
They were not aware of his identity at the time, but Mr Kaba was a member of one of London’s most violent street gangs and was accused of being involved in two shootings in the six days before he died.