Chris Kaba: Misconduct proceedings against Met firearms officer put on hold

THE INDEPENDENT Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) have today announced that they have decided to put on hold gross misconduct proceedings against the Metropolitan Police firearms officer who killed Chris Kaba.

Chris Kaba, a 24 year old Black man, was fatally shot by Martyn Blake, a firearms officer from the Metropolitan Police on 5 September 2022 in Streatham, London.

Chris was unarmed and police officers did not know who he was at the time of the shooting.

Following a review of the case after Blake was acquitted in October 2024 of the charge of murder, in April 2025 the IOPC confirmed that Blake would face a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct in relation to his Use of Force.

Misconduct proceedings

However, today the IOPC informed Chris’ family that even though the relevant Notice was drafted for service on Blake in October 2025, the IOPC have decided to pause these proceedings and make a new set of decisions once planned changes to the law on police disciplinary cases are put in place by the Government.

Today’s decision follows a private letter sent by the Metropolitan Police to the watchdog in November, without the family’s knowledge, asking them to withdraw the proceedings completely, given the planned changes to the law.

Chris’ family said:“Martyn Blake fatally shot Chris when he was unarmed and without knowing who he was. Until today, Martyn Blake was quite correctly facing imminent disciplinary proceedings for that use of force.

“We cannot understand why we, as Chris’ family, only learned for the first time today that the Met invited the IOPC to drop proceedings against Martyn Blake back in November.

“We are devastated that the IOPC has decided under this kind of police pressure to put on hold the preparations for Martyn Blake’s gross misconduct proceedings.”

Lack of consideration

The family added: “The IOPC could and should have consulted us last year, in advance of this decision. We would have said then, and we say now, that preparations for these proceedings should continue without more disruption and delay. To not involve us until after a decision to pause has been made is deeply disappointing and has damaged our confidence in the independence of the IOPC. The lack of consideration shown to us in this process adds to our trauma and our sense of injustice.”

Deborah Coles, Director of INQUEST, said: “When police use force, the public deserves swift, transparent and genuinely independent scrutiny.

“Instead, today’s decision shows once again that officers are protected every step of the way. It is alarming that the police watchdog appears to have bowed to pressure from the Metropolitan Police, whilst Chris’ family were kept in the dark.

“The government is already stripping back what little police accountability the public and bereaved families have.

“At a time when public trust in policing is at rock bottom, excluding bereaved families from considerations which affect them so profoundly is indefensible. The police must never be allowed to influence how their own actions are investigated.”

Distressing to family of Chris Kaba