Key facts
- Sergeant Martyn Blake will face a gross misconduct hearing over the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba.
- The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) determined there is sufficient evidence to indicate a breach of professional standards regarding the use of force.
- This decision follows Sergeant Blake's acquittal of murder in October 2024.
- The IOPC's decision to proceed with a misconduct hearing was based on applying a lower legal threshold than criminal proceedings.
- The Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Police Federation have expressed strong opposition to the misconduct hearing.
- Chris Kaba was identified as being involved in gang activity and was accused of involvement in shootings prior to his death.
A Metropolitan Police officer, Sergeant Martyn Blake, will face a gross misconduct hearing over the fatal shooting of Chris Kaba in September 2022. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concluded that there is sufficient evidence to indicate that Sergeant Blake may have breached police professional standards regarding his use of force, despite his acquittal of murder in October 2024.
The IOPC stated that the legal threshold for a misconduct case is lower than for criminal proceedings and that there are no compelling reasons to withdraw the original decision to direct a hearing. Director Amanda Rowe acknowledged the significant public interest in the case, particularly among Black communities and firearms officers.
Sergeant Blake, a member of the specialist firearms unit MO19, shot Mr Kaba, 24, in the head during a vehicle stop in Streatham. The court heard that officers were unaware of Kaba's identity at the time but knew the vehicle had been used in a previous shooting. It later emerged that Kaba was associated with a street gang and accused of involvement in shootings.
The Metropolitan Police and the Metropolitan Police Federation have strongly opposed the IOPC's decision. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor argued that the not guilty verdict at trial should preclude further action, while the Federation's General Secretary, Matt Cane, called the ruling "nonsensical."
During Sergeant Blake's murder trial, fellow firearms officers testified that they would have also taken a shot if Blake had not, and that they were fractions of a second away from doing the same. The IOPC confirmed that the Met Police must now arrange the disciplinary hearing.