An inquest has been begun into the shooting death of Chris Kaba in south London by armed police.
Andrew Harris expressed his condolences to the family of the 24-year-old who was shot through the windshield of a car on September 5 in Streatham Hill.
Mr. Kaba’s family has requested an immediate determination on whether criminal charges should be filed.
The officer of the Metropolitan Police who fired the fatal shot has been suspended.
The Inner South London Coroner’s Court heard that an unarmed Mr. Kaba was driving an Audi that police had linked to a weapons incident the day before, although his identity was not included in the briefing provided to officers. A marker for automated number plate recognition (ANPR) was installed on it.
At 21:52 BST, approximately 15 minutes before the shooting, officers in an unmarked police car without lights or sirens began a pursuit.
“Very private”
The court heard that after driving the Audi down Kirkstall Gardens, Mr. Kaba was halted by a marked police car and that the Audi and police vehicles collided.
A cop positioned in front of the Audi fired a single shot through the windshield, striking Mr. Kaba in the head.
He was transported to the hospital but died just after midnight on September 6th. The preliminary cause of death was listed as a “headshot wound.”
Outside the coroner’s court, his cousin Jefferson Bosela stated, “An immediate judgment on criminal charges is essential for this family and many others to have faith in a system that is meant to deliver them justice.”
He stated that the shooting seemed “very personal” to many London neighborhoods, as Mr. Kaba could have been their son.
The family has requested that the involved police officers be interrogated under caution and that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) keep the family informed of the investigation’s progress.
Mr. Bosela, flanked by Mr. Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu and father Prosper Kaba, continued, “This never should have occurred. This must never occur again.
“This must never be accepted as normal. Someone must accept responsibility.”
Mr. Kaba, a construction worker, was about to become a father when he passed away.
The hearing was postponed so the IOPC could conduct its investigation. The watchdog is examining the gunshot as a possible murder.
The IOPC stated the investigation would last between six and nine months, which Mr. Kaba’s family described as “alarming.”
