Chris Kaba was not being chased by police before he was shot dead, inquest hears

Chris Kaba was not being chased by armed officers when his Audi “made contact” with police cars and he was shot dead, an inquest has been told.

The 24-year-old died when a Met firearms officer, identified only as NX121, opened fire on the Audi Q8 Mr Kaba was driving through south London on the evening of Monday, September 5.

It had previously been thought that police were chasing the vehicle after it triggered an Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera indicating it had been involved in a firearms incident.

But in a statement read out at the opening of an inquest into his death, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said officers had in fact been following the Audi covertly prior to the shooting and did not know the identity of the person behind the wheel.

The IOPC also suggested there was evidence to support eyewitness claims that Mr Kaba had rammed the police cars in an attempt to escape, saying there was “contact” between the vehicles.

The officer who opened fire has been suspended from duty and is under criminal investigation for Mr Kaba’s murder, but IOPC has said the inquiry could take between six and nine months to conclude.

Members of Mr Kaba’s family have called for a charging decision to be made as quickly as possible.

At the opening of an inquest, Dean Brown from the IOPC said the Audi in question had been flagged up to police on September 5 after it was suspected of involvement in a firearms incident the day before.

Mr Kaba’s name was not associated with the vehicle and it was not registered to him.

On the evening of September 5, Armed officers in an unmarked police car spotted the Audi parked in the Camberwell Green area of south London and started to follow it.

Mr Brown explained: “The officers did not activate their lights or sirens while following the vehicle. The intention was to use an ‘enforced stop extraction’ on the Audi.

“At around 10.07pm, Mr Kaba made a left turn from New Park Road onto Kirkstall Gardens. Already present on Kirkstall Gardens was a marked police armed response vehicle."

Mr Dean said the armed officers got out of their vehicles and approached the Audi.

He went on: “The evidence suggests that contact was made between the Audi driven by Mr Kaba and the police vehicles.

“The evidence further suggests that officer NX121 was standing to the front of Mr Kaba’s vehicle. A single shot was fired by officer NX121 piercing the front windscreen of the vehicle Mr Kaba was driving and struck him.”

The inquest was adjourned to allow the investigation to continue.

Speaking outside the hearing Mr Kaba’s cousin, Jefferson Bosela, urged the IOPC to conclude its inquiry as soon as possible.

Joined by Mr Kabals mother, Helen Lumuanganu and his father, Prosper Kaba, Mr Bosela said: “We need answers. Not just this family, but the whole of London - the whole of the country - needs to know how something like this could occur?

"How can a young man, sitting in a car, unarmed, be shot in the head by police in London in 2022?

"This should never have happened. It must never happen again. We must never accept this as normal. Someone must be held accountable."

He added: "An urgent decision on criminal charges is critical for this family, and many others, to have faith in the system that is supposed to bring them justice."