Chris Kaba’s family to hold vigil three years after Met cop Martyn Blake murdered him

The family of murdered Chris Kaba are to hold a vigil marking three years since police shot and killed him. His family posted on social media, asking people to join the vigil:

On Friday, 5 September 2025, it will be three years since Chris Kaba was shot and killed by firearms officer Martyn Blake in Streatham Hill.

We will gather where Chris’s life was taken, to honour him, to stand with his family, and to continue resisting until answers are given and accountability is real.

They continued:

This vigil is a space for reflection, remembrance and solidarity. Bring candles, flowers, banners, and your presence. Together we will hold Chris in love and make it clear that his life mattered, and still matters to his loved ones, his community and all those who stand against state violence.

You, your friends, your families and communities are invited to stand with Chris’s family.

The vigil is due to go ahead tonight at Kirkstall Gardens on Streatham Hill, London at 7pm.

Chris Kaba murdered

Chris Kaba was shot dead in September 2022 by a Metropolitan police officer, Martyn Blake. That same police officer was later found not guilty in a jury verdict, in a case that shocked many.

As INQUEST described:

On 5 September 2022, Metropolitan police forced the car Chris was driving to stop believing it was linked to a firearms incident the previous night in nearby Brixton. The car was not registered to Chris and was not stolen.

The officers did not know who was driving the car. Chris was unarmed and had his hands clearly visible on the steering wheel. Blake rushed out of his car and within a few seconds shot Chris in the head.

After the not-guilty verdict was announced, Chris Kaba’s family released a statement:

The not guilty verdict leaves us with the deep pain of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow we have felt since Chris was killed.

No family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced. Chris was stolen from us, and this decision shows his life — and many others like him — does not matter to the system. Our son deserved better.

The acquittal of Martyn Blake isn’t just a failure for our family, but for all those affected by police violence.

As the Canary reported at the time, Chris Kaba’s family had to gather themselves in their grief, shock, and heartbreak to campaign for Chris’ life and death to not go unnoticed. His family have worked tirelessly to ensure that even when racist institutions, including the police and government, fail to see Chris’ life as precious, and his death as an avoidable tragedy, everyone else can see otherwise.

Institutional racism

When Blake was initially charged with murder, it was a rarity at the time for the Crown Prosecution Service charge an officer gunning down a Black man. However, this was no indication whatsoever of a police force reckoning with their own anti-Black racism. The Canary’s Steve Topple wrote:

Currently, the force is conducting a purge of what the media has branded “rogue officers” – like Wayne Couzens, who kidnapped, raped, and murdered Sarah Everard. However, the idea that the Met’s problems are due to rogue officers or ‘bad apples’ is preposterous… It’s institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia which pervades the Met Police, not bad apples – and which ultimately comes from the state itself.

The outcome of Blake’s trial is no trustworthy indicator of culpability. INQUEST wrote in 2024 that there were:

However, the CPS has only ever brought ten murder or manslaughter charges, aside from Blake, against police officers. As the Canary’s HG reported:

That’s a conviction rate of 0.05%.

Chris Kaba should still be alive today

Chris Kaba’s death was a tragedy. He was killed by police violence, institutional racism, and virulent anti-Blackness. His family have had to deal not only with his death, but with the ensuing scrutiny and smears that come with campaigning for the life and remembrance of a loved one.

In April 2025, the IOPC recommended killer cop Blake should face a misconduct hearing over the fatal shooting of Chris. This is because misconduct hearings have a lower threshold than criminal proceedings. So far, the Met has failed to follow through on this. Yet also in April, the force promoted Blake to inspector – in a final insult to Chris’ memory.

And all the while, Chris’ family will continue to be put through the wringer for an outcome that couldn’t deliver justice.

Anti-Black racism, particularly amongst police forces in England, is a deadly killer. It is up to all of us to make sure that it is not a silent killer. We must gather to remember Chris Kaba’s life, to remember his death, and to ensure that his memory remains a blessing to the world.

The vigil for Chris Kaba will be held at 7pm on Friday 5 September 2025, Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham, London SW2 4HR

Featured image via the Canary