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Chris Kaba had been jailed previously after police stopped his car and discovered knife

Chris Kaba was unarmed when he was shot dead by police in south London on Mon 5 - Universal News And Sport Europe
Chris Kaba was unarmed when he was shot dead by police in south London on Mon 5 - Universal News And Sport Europe

Chris Kaba, the unarmed black man shot dead by police in south London, had been jailed previously after police stopped his car and discovered a lock knife, it has emerged.

The 24-year-old, who was due to become a father, died when a Met marksman opened fire on the car he was driving in Lambeth on the evening of Monday 5 September.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said the car, which was not registered to Mr Kaba, was being followed after it was flagged as having been involved in a firearms incident.

Mr Kaba had previously served a four year prison sentence after being convicted of possessing an imitation firearm.

But it has now emerged that in August 2020, after he had got out of jail, he was caught driving without insurance with a knife in his car.

Because the offences were committed while he was still on licence, he received an extra five months in custody.

Court records also show that in April this year, Mr Kaba was served with a 28-day domestic violence protection order relating to the mother of his unborn child barring him from contacting her on social media or entering the street where she lives.

Family insist past is not relevant to his death

Mr Kaba’s family have insisted that his past is not relevant to the events that led up to his shooting and have said he would not have been killed if he had been white.

His cousin, Jefferson Bosela, said: “We have no idea whether the claims are correct, but we can't see how they are relevant to the police's decision to shoot Chris dead.

"Everyone in this country has the right to go about their business without fear of being killed by the police.

"There are very limited circumstances in which the police can use force. When a person is killed as a result of that use of force, their death must be fully and properly investigated, no matter what the people involved may - or may not have - done in their past.

"Chris was a loving son, caring brother, excited father-to-be and a young man with so much potential. His family and friends will always remember him that way.”

The office who fired the fatal shot has been suspended by the Met and is under investigation for murder or manslaughter.

The IOPC has said it expects the investigation into Mr Kaba’s death to take between six and nine months to complete.