Rapper Chris Kaba who was shot by armed officers from the Metropolitan Police at Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill, south London (Family handout/PA)
(Picture: PA Media)The family of a rapper shot dead by police after a chase have been shown footage of the incident captured by police bodycams.
The police watchdog has launched a homicide inquiry after Chris Kaba, 24, who was unarmed, died when a single shot was fired into the Audi he was driving following a police chase.
The firearms officer who pulled the trigger has been placed under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and has been suspended pending the outcome of the inquiry which could take up to nine months investigators have said.
They family have been shown footage captured by police bodycams and a helicopter which was used in the chase on 5 September.
After leaving viewing the footage and meeting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Mr Kaba’s mother Helen Nkama described how “hard” it was to watch the footage and that she had already been left “heartbroken”.
On leaving the meeting where she viewed the footage she told Sky News: “It’s very hard. My heart is already broken. What I want is justice for my son. I want the truth.”
The Police Federation, the staff association representing the armed officer, has called for him to be permitted to return to duty and agreed with calls for the family to see the footage saying they have “nothing to hide”.
Federation chairman Ken Marsh told the Standard: “We have nothing to hide. We agree the family should be able to see the footage. No one should make up their minds before they see what happened. The officer should not have been suspended and should be allowed to go back to work.”
A statement from the Federation added: “Being a firearms officer in London is one of the world’s toughest jobs. Officers - volunteers - know the responsibility/accountability that comes with it and deserve our support. Ill-informed commentary from those in positions of power following any tragic incident is unwarranted.”
Mr Kaba, who had been due to become a father, died after the vehicle he was driving was boxed in by police vehicles in Kirkstall Gardens in Streatham, south London, and one round was fired.
The police chase on 5 September started when the vehicle was flagged by an ANPR camera as being involved in a firearms incident. A series of protests have been held against the shooting and asking for answers from the Metropolitan Police as to why the father to be was shot.
A statement issued on behalf of the family after seeing the footage said: “Today, the family of Chris Kaba had private meetings with the new Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and the director general of the IOPC, Michael Lockwood. The family will not be making any further comment at this time.”
The meeting between the family and police lasted around 25 minutes.
“The Commissioner met the family of Chris Kaba this evening,” a spokesperson for the force said. “This was a private meeting.”
Investigators from the IOPC will consider whether race was a factor in the fatal shooting.
In a statement, the IOPC said it would “explore all of the circumstances” surrounding the death of the unarmed 24-year-old father-to-be, including whether “race influenced any actions taken by the police”.
An inquest into Mr Kaba’s death will be opened on October 4.
