In a case that continues to stir national debate over police accountability, Sergeant Martyn Blake—the Metropolitan Police officer cleared of murdering 24-year-old Chris Kaba—now faces a gross misconduct charge that could cost him his job. Though a jury acquitted Blake of criminal wrongdoing, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has ordered a disciplinary hearing to determine whether the officer breached professional standards during the fatal shooting in September 2022.
This unexpected development follows a high-profile trial that ended with Blake being found not guilty of murder, sparking both relief in some policing circles and outrage among community advocates. The IOPC, however, has made it clear that the threshold for disciplinary proceedings is lower than that for criminal prosecution. Their statement emphasized that while the jury did not find Blake guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the incident still raises serious concerns about conduct and operational decisions.
Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, speaking on behalf of the Metropolitan Police, revealed that the force had strongly opposed the misconduct hearing, arguing that the criminal trial provided a full and fair examination of the evidence. Nonetheless, under UK law, the IOPC has the authority to override a police force’s objection if it believes public interest is at stake.
The disciplinary hearing, which could lead to Blake’s dismissal, marks a crucial moment in British policing. It will test not just the boundaries between legal innocence and professional conduct, but also public confidence in a system many say too often protects its own. As the case proceeds, questions will linger: How does one reconcile a not guilty verdict with calls for accountability? Can procedural failings exist even if criminal intent is absent?
Who Was Chris Kaba?
Chris Kaba, 24, was a young Black man from south London whose life was cut short during a police operation on September 5, 2022. A father-to-be, Kaba was driving an Audi Q8 that had been linked via automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to a firearms incident from the previous day. He was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
Kaba’s death sparked immediate outcry from the local community and across the UK, fueling fresh discussions around police use of force, racial profiling, and institutional bias. Protests erupted outside Scotland Yard, with demonstrators demanding “Justice for Chris Kaba” and greater transparency from the Met. His family, represented by lawyers and community advocates, described the shooting as “entirely unjustified” and repeatedly called for the officer responsible to be charged and publicly named.
The killing bore striking similarities to previous incidents where Black men in the UK were fatally shot by police under controversial circumstances. Activist groups, including Black Lives Matter UK, seized upon Kaba’s case as further evidence of disproportionate policing in minority communities. Even international outlets picked up the story, comparing it to high-profile cases like those of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the United States.
Though investigations later revealed the car Kaba was driving was under surveillance due to weapons intelligence, it was later established that he was not carrying a firearm when he was shot. The fact that the vehicle was boxed in and Kaba was shot through the windscreen by a firearms officer raised even more questions about the necessity and proportionality of the use of lethal force.
His tragic death continues to reverberate, not only in legal and policing circles but also within broader societal conversations about race, justice, and the role of the police in modern Britain.
The Shooting Incident
The fatal shooting of Chris Kaba took place in Streatham Hill, south London, after a brief police pursuit. Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Firearms Command (CO19) had been tracking the vehicle Kaba was driving using ANPR technology. The Audi Q8 was flagged in connection to a previous firearms incident, and officers were instructed to carry out an armed stop.
At approximately 10 p.m., after following the vehicle through residential streets, officers used a “tactical box” maneuver to force Kaba’s vehicle to a halt. As the car was stopped, Sergeant Martyn Blake, one of the armed officers at the scene, exited his vehicle and fired a single shot through the windscreen of the Audi, striking Kaba in the head.
Kaba was later pronounced dead in hospital. The entire incident, including the shooting, was captured on body-worn camera footage, which formed a central piece of evidence in the subsequent investigation and criminal trial.
Blake later claimed that he fired the shot because he believed Kaba was attempting to ram officers or use the vehicle as a weapon. However, critics questioned whether the force used was reasonable, especially since no firearm was found on Kaba or in the car. The Independent Office for Police Conduct launched an investigation within 24 hours of the shooting and referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which decided to charge Blake with murder.
The decision to prosecute was met with mixed reactions. While some hailed it as a rare instance of police being held accountable, others—including police union representatives—warned it could deter officers from engaging in dangerous operations for fear of legal repercussions.
Sergeant Martyn Blake: The Officer Involved
For over a year following the shooting, the identity of the officer who fired the fatal shot remained shielded from the public due to legal anonymity provisions. However, upon the conclusion of his criminal trial in 2024, it was revealed that Sergeant Martyn Blake was the officer at the center of the controversy.
Blake had served in the Metropolitan Police for more than 15 years and was a trained firearms officer assigned to CO19, one of the UK’s elite armed response units. His defense in court emphasized his training, experience, and the split-second nature of the decision he had to make on the night Kaba was killed.
Throughout the trial, Blake maintained that he feared for the lives of his fellow officers when he saw Kaba’s car lurch forward within the boxed formation. His defense argued that he reasonably believed lethal force was necessary to prevent harm.
Despite being cleared by the jury of criminal wrongdoing, Blake’s conduct has remained under scrutiny. The IOPC determined that aspects of his decision-making and communication during the stop may have breached the police’s standards of professional behavior. This conclusion has now led to the current gross misconduct proceedings.
The Criminal Trial and Acquittal
Blake’s trial began in late 2024 at the Old Bailey, where he faced one count of murder in connection with Chris Kaba’s death. The prosecution argued that Blake had acted recklessly and unlawfully when he fired into the vehicle, while the defense maintained that the officer had “genuinely and reasonably” believed that Kaba posed an immediate threat.
Bodycam footage, eyewitness testimony, and expert analysis formed the bulk of the evidence. Prosecutors questioned why alternative non-lethal measures were not considered, while the defense emphasized the rapid escalation of the situation.
After several weeks of proceedings, the jury returned a not guilty verdict. The decision sparked mixed reactions—relief from law enforcement circles and devastation from Kaba’s family and supporters. While the verdict absolved Blake of criminal liability, it did not end the broader conversation about how policing operates in high-stakes, racially sensitive contexts.
