Police officer who shot and killed unarmed black man acquitted in the United Kingdom

A British police officer shot and killed a black man who drove a car and tried to escape from a roadblock in south London it was acquitted this Monday of murder, which has provoked the indignation of the family of the deceased.

Martyn Blake40, was acquitted by a jury at the Old Bailey criminal court after a shot through front car window ended the young man’s life Chris Kaba24, in Streatham (south London) in September 2022.

The Metropolitan Police agent argued in his defense that His intention was not to kill the suspect.despite having shot him in the forehead, and that he used his service weapon because he felt that Kaba was endangering the lives of his companions.

The police launched a surveillance of the Audi Q8 that Kaba was driving, as the vehicle had been linked to a shooting in the nearby Brixton neighborhood the night before.

At one point, Several police cars blocked the way to Kabato which he reacted by accelerating his vehicle back and forth. After urging him to stop the car, Blake opened fire on the young man with a single shot.

Kaba’s family After hearing the ruling, she declared herself “devastated” and considered that the acquittal leaves them with “the deep pain of injustice.”

“No family should have to endure the unimaginable grief we have felt. Chris was stolen from us, and this decision shows that His life – and that of many others like him – does not matter to the system. “Our son deserved better,” the family said in a statement.

For its part, the campaign Justice for Chris Kaba described the ruling as “devastating moment for the family, our community and the nation.

The Metropolitan Police (met) pointed out that Blake will immediately return to work.after having been suspended during the judicial process.

The Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, defended that the officer had to make a decision in an instant about what he considered was necessary to protect your colleagues and citizens.

In his opinion, no agent with the right to carry firearms (very restricted in the UK) has the intention to never use itbut its sole purpose is precisely to protect and preserve lives.

At the time of Kaba’s death, there were protests in different parts of the countrywith the participation of the famous rapper Stormzy in them and multiple allusions to the movement Black Lives Matter.