JUST A few days after a 21-year-old man died after a chase involving armed officers in Streatham Hill, south London, community groups have a called a special meeting to highlight their concerns.

The virtual event, which is taking place this afternoon (Thursday September 8) has been organised by local community groups Ecosystem Coldharbour and Options4Change.

Stakeholders

A statement from the two organisations said the meeting was aimed at forming an “alliance of committed community stakeholders” to address “issues surrounding the shooting of young people and the relationship with the statutory agencies”.

A joint statement said: “The community is gravely concerned that, yet another police incident has resulted in the death of a young man. Parents and young people are fearing for the safety of themselves and themselves. As a community we need to address the issues surrounding the shooting of young people and the relationship with the statutory agencies.”

Today’s meeting comes after Kaba’s family called for a murder investigation to be launched into his death after it was revealed that no gun was found in his vehicle.

The 24-year-old was driving on Monday evening at 9:51pm before two police cars brought the pursuit to a stop by colliding with his car in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham Hill. He was given first aid at the scene by officers but was later pronounced dead in hospital on Tuesday morning (September 6).

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed yesterday (September 7) that no firearm was found in his car or at the scene of the incident.

Chase

The police watchdog said that police officers had pursued Kaba during the chase, because an automatic number plate recognition camera suggested that his car had been in a firearms incident in the days prior to his death. They said they could not comment further as investigations are underway.
His family claimed that if their son had not been black he would not have had his “life cut short”.

In a statement, they said: “The family of Chris Kaba seek a homicide investigation into his death from the outset. We have today told the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) of that demand and that we do not want any delay as has happened in other fatal shootings – otherwise we and the wider public can have no confidence that the police will be held to account.

Weapon

“We also want the IOPC to tell us whether or not a weapon was found in any search of the vehicle that Chris was driving. We have not received this information even though the shooting happened almost two days’ ago. Finally, we are desperately appealing for any witnesses, whether before, during or after the pursuit and the shooting, to come forward to the IOPC and / or to our solicitors at Hickman and Rose.

“We are devastated; we need answers and we need accountability. We are worried that if Chris had not been black, he would have been arrested on Monday evening and not had his life cut short.”

Kaba, who was a soon-to-be-dad, was a drill rapper and a member of the group 67 known as Madix.

IOPC Regional Director, Sal Naseem, said: “We recognise that there is community concern following this incident and we appreciate that questions will remain around how Mr Kaba tragically ended up being fatally shot following an attempted vehicle stop.

Questions

“We are working hard to piece together all of the circumstances surrounding this incident and we want to reassure the community that these questions will be answered in due course, however it will take some time before our investigation is able to uncover all of the facts.

“While these details are still being confirmed, we ask that the public avoid speculating about this incident out of respect for Mr Kaba’s family and for anyone else affected.”

Commander Alexis Boon said he understood the family and community calls for “answers” in the aftermath of the shooting.

‘Concerning’

“I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the man who died and I recognise the devastating and lasting impact this tragic incident will have on them,” he said.

“I understand that this incident is extremely concerning and I would like to reassure the community that the Met is co-operating fully with the Independent Office for Police Conduct as they carry out a thorough and independent investigation.

“I also recognise that the family and community want answers about what happened. I know the IOPC investigators are working hard to establish the facts but also need some time and space to be able to progress their enquiries.”