LONDON: A Black motorist killed by a London police marksman who was acquitted of murder this week was a member of a violent gang and allegedly shot a rival a week earlier, according to court records that were allowed to be published Tuesday.
Jurors were not told about Chris Kaba’s gang ties during the trial that ended with Sgt. Martyn Blake being found not guilty Monday in the Central Criminal Court.
Kaba, 24, was shot on Sept. 5, 2022, after ramming police vehicles during a traffic stop. Police did not know who was driving the vehicle, but it was an Audi Q8 that had been used as a getaway car in an unsolved shooting a night earlier.
Blake fired a single round through the windshield of the Audi because he said he thought fellow officers’ lives were in danger. Kaba was found to be unarmed.
Prosecutors defended their decision to charge Blake in an exceptionally rare case against a British police officer for a death in the line of duty. They argued at trial that Blake misjudged the risk to his colleagues, exaggerated the threat after the shooting and aimed for Kaba’s head. Blake denied those assertions.
A judge had said the details of Kaba’s criminal record and alleged involvement in other shootings were irrelevant for jurors to consider in determining whether Blake used unreasonable force. Justice James Goss ordered news media not to report any of those details.
Following the trial, the news media challenged Goss’ order, and he lifted the restrictions on the information that had emerged during earlier proceedings.
The Metropolitan Police supported the release of the information to remove any “misleading impression” about Kaba’s character in the hopes it could quell violence toward officers, particularly on Saturday when an annual demonstration is held in London by family members of people who have died in police custody.
“If the information in relation to Mr. Kaba’s character is shared with the public, those who would seek to provoke anti-police violence would gain less support and the overall likelihood of disorder and the risk to public safety would reduce,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said in a court statement.
Kaba’s mother, Helen Lumuanganu, had asked the court not to release the details until an inquest could be held into her son’s death, which could take years.
Dozens of demonstrators held a peaceful protest Monday night outside the Old Bailey courthouse where the trial was held, chanting for justice for Kaba.
“Despite this verdict, we won’t be silenced,” his family said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to everyone who stood by us and fought for justice. We will continue fighting for Chris, for justice, and for real change. Chris’ life mattered, and nothing can take that away from us.”
Inquest, a justice advocacy group that released the statement Monday, said neither the family nor the charity were commenting after the release of the new information from court.
Evidence at previous trials indicated Kaba had shot a gang rival on the dance floor of a nightclub on Aug. 30 and then chased the victim outside and shot him again before fleeing. The victim, who was hit twice in the leg, survived.
The Audi he was driving on the night he was killed had been used to drive him to the club that night and was also linked to another shooting in May.
Kaba had convictions for fighting and possessing a knife and had served several stints behind bars, including a four-year sentence in 2017 for possessing an imitation firearm.
Kaba, who had been a rapper and was about to become a father, was also facing a possible court order aimed at curbing gang behavior at the time of his death.
Fatal shootings by police in the UK are rare. In the year to March 2023, officers in England and Wales who are authorized to carry a gun fired their weapons at people 10 times and killed three, according to official statistics.
The shooting renewed racism allegations against the Met police, also known as Scotland Yard, as it had been trying to restore confidence following a series of scandals and an independent review that found it mired in sexism, homophobia and institutional racism.
The decision to charge Blake created a backlash from some of his specially trained firearms colleagues who refused to carry their weapons in a show of solidarity. The Met was briefly forced to call on neighboring departments and the military for backup.
The union representing Met police officers applauded the decision to lift the reporting restrictions on Kaba’s gang involvement and said Blake never should have faced trial.
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Black motorist fatally shot by London police officer in 2022 was a member of a violent gang
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Black motorist fatally shot by London police officer in 2022 was a member of a violent gang
- Prosecutors defended their decision to charge Blake in an exceptionally rare case against a British police officer for a death in the line of duty
- They argued at trial that Blake misjudged the risk to his colleagues, exaggerated the threat after the shooting and aimed for Kaba’s head
FBI foils Daesh-inspired New Year’s Eve attack plot
- Christian Sturdivant,18, charged with attempting to provide material support to foreign terrorist organization
- Investigators say he shared plans for the attack with an undercover FBI employee
CHARLOTTE, United States: The FBI said Friday it disrupted a New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old man who authorities say pledged loyalty to the Daesh group.
Christian Sturdivant was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after investigators say he shared plans for the attack with an undercover FBI employee posing as a supportive confidant.
Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remained in custody after a federal court appearance Friday. An attorney representing him Friday did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Another hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7.
The alleged attack would have taken place one year after 14 people were killed in New Orleans by a US citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for Daesh on social media.
The FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice and equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
Searches of Sturdivant’s home and phone uncovered what investigators described as a manifesto detailing plans for an attack with knives and a hammer, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle said at a news conference Friday.
“He was willing to sacrifice himself,” Barnacle said.
US Attorney for western North Carolina Russ Ferguson said the planned attack in Mint Hill, a bedroom community near Charlotte, targeted “places that we go every day and don’t think that we may be harmed.”
Worried he might attempt violence before New Year’s Eve, the FBI placed Sturdivant under constant surveillance for days, including on Christmas, Ferguson said. Agents were prepared to arrest him earlier if he left his home with weapons, he said. “At no point was the public in harm’s way.”
The fact that Sturdivant encountered two undercover officers while allegedly planning the attack should reassure the public, Ferguson said. He declined to identify the grocery store and restaurant cited in the complaint, citing the ongoing investigation.
If convicted, Sturdivant faces up to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.
An FBI affidavit says the investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of Daesh, including imagery that appeared to promote violence. The account’s display name referenced Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the former leader of the extremist group.
Some experts argue that Daesh is powerful today partly as a brand, inspiring both militant groups and individuals in attacks that the group itself may have no real role in.
The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the FBI’s radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned that he had been in contact with a person in Europe the FBI says was an Daesh member, and had received instructions to dress in black, knock on people’s doors and commit attacks with a hammer.
At that time, Sturdivant did actually set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
The FBI in Los Angeles last month announced the disruption of a separate New Year’s Eve plot, arresting members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group who federal officials said planned to bomb multiple sites in southern California.
Other Daesh-inspired attacks over the past decade include a 2015 shooting rampage by a husband-and-wife team who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, and a 2016 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, by a gunman who fatally shot 49 people.
Christian Sturdivant was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after investigators say he shared plans for the attack with an undercover FBI employee posing as a supportive confidant.
Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remained in custody after a federal court appearance Friday. An attorney representing him Friday did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Another hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7.
The alleged attack would have taken place one year after 14 people were killed in New Orleans by a US citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for Daesh on social media.
The FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice and equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
Searches of Sturdivant’s home and phone uncovered what investigators described as a manifesto detailing plans for an attack with knives and a hammer, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle said at a news conference Friday.
“He was willing to sacrifice himself,” Barnacle said.
US Attorney for western North Carolina Russ Ferguson said the planned attack in Mint Hill, a bedroom community near Charlotte, targeted “places that we go every day and don’t think that we may be harmed.”
Worried he might attempt violence before New Year’s Eve, the FBI placed Sturdivant under constant surveillance for days, including on Christmas, Ferguson said. Agents were prepared to arrest him earlier if he left his home with weapons, he said. “At no point was the public in harm’s way.”
The fact that Sturdivant encountered two undercover officers while allegedly planning the attack should reassure the public, Ferguson said. He declined to identify the grocery store and restaurant cited in the complaint, citing the ongoing investigation.
If convicted, Sturdivant faces up to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.
An FBI affidavit says the investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of Daesh, including imagery that appeared to promote violence. The account’s display name referenced Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the former leader of the extremist group.
Some experts argue that Daesh is powerful today partly as a brand, inspiring both militant groups and individuals in attacks that the group itself may have no real role in.
The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the FBI’s radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned that he had been in contact with a person in Europe the FBI says was an Daesh member, and had received instructions to dress in black, knock on people’s doors and commit attacks with a hammer.
At that time, Sturdivant did actually set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
The FBI in Los Angeles last month announced the disruption of a separate New Year’s Eve plot, arresting members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group who federal officials said planned to bomb multiple sites in southern California.
Other Daesh-inspired attacks over the past decade include a 2015 shooting rampage by a husband-and-wife team who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, and a 2016 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, by a gunman who fatally shot 49 people.
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