A police marksman who shot Chris Kaba dead said he believed that “one or many” officers could be killed as the suspect attempted to escape “at any cost,” a court has heard.

Martyn Blake, who denies murder, shot the 24-year-old in the head through the windscreen of his car during a police stop in Streatham, south London, in September 2022. The incident occurred as police were pursuing the vehicle, which was linked to a previous firearms incident in Brixton.

The Old Bailey jury was told that Mr Kaba had attempted to get away by driving forward before reversing into a police vehicle that had blocked him in. Body-worn footage from the officers and a graphic reconstruction of the police stop were shown to the jury.

Officer’s Account of the Shooting

Mr Blake, 40, recounted the events, saying he feared an “imminent threat” as Mr Kaba appeared to drive toward the officers at high speed. The officer had approached the vehicle, shouting, “Armed police, show me your hands.

As the driver drove towards me and [unnamed officer] E156, I had a genuine belief that either of us could be killed and moved out of the way,” Mr Blake said. The officer described the suspect as having a “propensity to use violence” and that the driver was intent on escaping “at any cost.

Mr Blake added: “I then made the decision to incapacitate the driver due to the imminent threat to my colleagues and took one shot at the driver. He immediately slumped, and the car stopped.

The court was told that parts of Mr. Blake’s account were “exaggerated” and “false.” Prosecutor Tom Little KC suggested that the Metropolitan Police officer’s use of lethal force was not justifiable.

Timeline of Events

Police officers in an unmarked vehicle spotted Mr Kaba’s Audi in Camberwell, south London before six police vehicles joined in the pursuit. The jury heard that an operational firearms commander (OFC) decided to stop the Audi, fearing that waiting longer could alert Mr Kaba that he was being followed.

Indeed, Mr Kaba had informed a friend during a phone call that he suspected he was being followed, moments before being stopped by police in Kirkstall Gardens.

Initially, Mr Kaba drove backwards, then accelerated forward in a failed attempt to escape, hitting two police vehicles and a parked car. The police car behind the Audi moved forward to close the gap, and Mr Kaba reversed into it. It was then that Mr. Blake, who was positioned in front of the Audi, fired the fatal shot through the windscreen.

Cries of “shots fired, shots fired” could be heard on body-worn footage.

Firearms Officer Testimony

A fellow firearms officer, identified as HA62, testified that Mr Blake, known as NX121, acted as a tactical firearms adviser and described him as “calm and collected” with sound judgment. He said Mr Blake had never shown anger or frustration while on duty.

On the night of the shooting, Mr Blake was supposed to work in the operations room as a tactical adviser but was swapped with a colleague.

Under cross-examination, HA62 agreed that the longer it took to immobilise a car in such circumstances, the greater the risk to officers around the vehicle.

Outcome

Mr Kaba was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he died just after midnight on 6 September 2022.

The trial continues.