'I want justice for my son and I want the truth': Chris Kaba's family holds 'very hard' face-to-face with Met chief

21 September 2022, 19:41

The family of Chris Kaba has described their meeting with the Met's new boss as "very hard" and said they just want to get to the truth of his fatal shooting at the hands of a police officer.

The 24-year-old was shot dead after a chase with police in Streatham Hill in south London on September 5.

An officer fired one round at the Audi driver in Kirkstall Gardens, which triggered fury as to why they had opened fire.

The officer involved has been suspended by the Met and the police watchdog is investigating as the death sparked anger and protests.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Kaba's family had a meeting with the new commissioner of the Met, Sir Mark Rowley, and the director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC], Michael Lockwood.

Mr Kaba's mother Helen Nkama said: "It was hard… very hard.

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"As I've said before, my heart is already broken.

"What I want is justice for my son and I want the truth."

Mr Kaba's cousin Jefferson Bosela, who also joined the meeting, said: "It was hard, but the family just wants justice.

"For now, the family are going to take a break and take a step back."

An inquest into his death is due to take place next month.

The IOPC is investigating what happened and said it will examine if race played a part in the shooting.

The watchdog's regional director Sal Naseem said: "We fully appreciate that Chris Kaba's devastated family and the community have a lot of unanswered questions about his death.

"We have also advised Chris's family that we aim to complete our investigation within six to nine months.

"We understand that people want answers quickly, but this is a complex investigation involving a significant amount of evidence."