The Metropolitan Police has asked a senior coroner not to resume the inquest into the fatal police shooting of Chris Kaba, arguing that the circumstances of his death have already been comprehensively investigated through a criminal trial and an independent police watchdog investigation. The force made its case at Southwark Coroner’s Court on Thursday, October 1, where Senior Coroner Dr Julian Morris is considering whether the suspended inquest into the 24-year-old’s death should resume. Mr Kaba’s family is arguing for the opposite outcome, saying a full inquest would allow further examination of the use of lethal force and the wider police operation. 
wiltshire999.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/met-police-driver-feared-colleague-would-be-run-over-before-chris-kaba-shooting-court-hears-featured-1533000.webp 480w, https://wiltshire999.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/met-police-driver-feared-colleague-would-be-run-over-before-chris-kaba-shooting-court-hears-featured-1533000-300x225.webp 300w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /> No decision has yet been made, with the coroner due to rule at a later date. During an armed police stop Chris Kaba was shot by Metropolitan Police firearms officer Sergeant Martyn Blake, who was previously identified by the cypher NX121, on September 5, 2022. 
Met Police Officer Martyn Blake Denies Murder in Chris Kaba Shooting Trial at Old Bailey" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://wiltshire999.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dedicated-2325747-police-marksman-who-shot-chris-kaba-no-robocop-jurors-told-featured-1550481.webp 1200w, https://wiltshire999.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dedicated-2325747-police-marksman-who-shot-chris-kaba-no-robocop-jurors-told-featured-1550481-300x169.webp 300w, https://wiltshire999.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dedicated-2325747-police-marksman-who-shot-chris-kaba-no-robocop-jurors-told-featured-1550481-1024x576.webp 1024w, https://wiltshire999.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/dedicated-2325747-police-marksman-who-shot-chris-kaba-no-robocop-jurors-told-featured-1550481-768x432.webp 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /> The Met’s written submissions state that officers had spotted Mr Kaba driving an Audi which was believed to be linked to a firearms incident the previous day. Police followed the vehicle before, at around 10.07pm, carrying out an enforced stop designed to trap the Audi between police vehicles. Armed officers then got out and approached. According to the Met’s submissions, Mr Kaba drove forwards and reversed, striking police vehicles. Sgt Blake was positioned in front of the Audi and fired a single shot. Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Simon Poole concluded that Mr Kaba died from a gunshot wound to the head. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… The Met’s submissions state that only 13 seconds elapsed between the Audi coming to a stop in Kirkstall Gardens and the fatal shot being fired. They also record that the Audi was stationary at the moment Mr Kaba was shot. Met pre-inquest hearing submission.
Officer cleared of murder
The Independent Office for Police Conduct carried out an investigation and referred evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service. Sgt Blake was charged with murder in September 2023 and stood trial at the Old Bailey in October 2024. He denied murder and was unanimously acquitted by the jury on October 21, 2024. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… During his trial, Sgt Blake maintained that he believed the Audi was being used as a weapon and that his colleagues were in danger.
IOPC later withdrew disciplinary proceedings
The IOPC subsequently considered whether Sgt Blake should face gross misconduct proceedings. In April 2025, the watchdog said the case continued to meet the threshold for a misconduct hearing. However, evidence emerging during the criminal trial was subsequently reassessed. According to the Met’s submissions, this included evidence that other armed officers would have fired within seconds had Sgt Blake not done so, that other officers feared for their safety and vehicle data showing full acceleration had been used as the Audi attempted to move between vehicles. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… Police misconduct regulations governing the use-of-force test changed in June 2026. On August 5, the IOPC confirmed that Sgt Blake would no longer face disciplinary proceedings. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss…
Met says four questions have already been answered
The Met is now arguing there is no sufficient reason to restart the coronial investigation. Its legal submission says the fundamental coronial questions concerning who died and how, when and where the death occurred have already been answered by the criminal proceedings and IOPC investigation. The force says the IOPC examined the events leading to the vehicle being stopped, the tactics used during the operation and the decision to use lethal force. It argues that resuming the inquest would duplicate work already undertaken by judicial and independent investigative bodies. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss…
IOPC examined race, tactics and firearms operation
The Met’s submission provides further details about the scope of the IOPC investigation. It says investigators considered how officers became aware of Mr Kaba’s vehicle, what officers knew beforehand, whether his race was a factor in his treatment, the tactics used to stop the Audi and Sgt Blake’s use of lethal force. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… According to the Met’s submission, the IOPC found no evidence suggesting Mr Kaba’s race influenced the decision to shoot. It also concluded that an enforced stop was an appropriate tactic and found no evidence suggesting firearms officers had failed to implement that tactic to the best of their abilities. The IOPC report did not itself reach a conclusion on whether Mr Kaba posed an immediate threat to officers or whether Sgt Blake’s decision to shoot was reasonable, necessary and proportionate. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… Two potential learning recommendations were identified: that the Met debrief the enforced stop with the College of Policing and remind armed officers of requirements surrounding activation of body-worn cameras. Both were accepted by the Met. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss…
Family wants full inquest resumed
Mr Kaba’s family argues that there remains sufficient reason for an inquest to take place. Matthew Ryder KC, representing the family, told the court they wanted an investigation that could consider whether the officer acted unreasonably in perceiving Mr Kaba as posing a threat requiring lethal force. He argued that the criminal trial was “not a substitute for an inquest” and said an inquest could examine broader factual issues and potentially identify lessons from what happened. The Met’s written submission records six broad arguments advanced by the family, including questions surrounding the decision to use lethal force, the wider operational circumstances, the planning and execution of the police operation, whether the IOPC investigation sufficiently addressed those matters, the public interest and whether the state’s investigative obligations have been fulfilled. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… The Met disputes that these matters provide sufficient grounds to resume proceedings.
Family asks: ‘Why did this police officer shoot our son?’
Mr Ryder told the hearing the family wanted an opportunity to answer the question: “Why did this police officer shoot our son?” He said the family found the Commissioner’s opposition to resuming the inquest “disappointing and misguided”. The family’s position is that an inquest could consider not only the fatal shot but the wider circumstances surrounding the police operation. The Met’s submission acknowledges that the criminal trial did not determine every wider operational question in the way an inquest potentially could, but argues those circumstances were nevertheless examined through evidence at trial and the IOPC investigation. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss…
Met: ‘There must be an end point’
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said: “The circumstances around Chris Kaba’s death have already been fully established during the independent IOPC investigation and criminal trial. “In particular, the actions of officer NX121 have been comprehensively examined and cross-examined.” He said that while the Met’s thoughts remained with Mr Kaba’s family, the force believed restarting the inquest would duplicate investigations already conducted. Harman added that firearms officers accepted police shootings must be scrutinised, but said the Met’s position was that “there must be an end point to that process”. Met argues wider operation has already been scrutinised The Met’s written case says the criminal jury heard evidence about firearms training, the organisation of the firearms unit, the decision to deploy armed officers and the enforced-stop tactic. Evidence was also heard from Sgt Blake, other firearms officers, the tactical firearms commander and a tactical adviser. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… The force argues the IOPC’s 73-page report separately examined the command structure, decision-making, enforced stops, Sgt Blake’s training and events leading to Mr Kaba’s death. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… The family disputes that the investigations conducted so far remove the need for a coronial examination.
Coroner to decide whether inquest resumes
The inquest was originally opened and adjourned in October 2022 while the IOPC investigation and subsequent criminal proceedings took place. Under the legal test cited in the Met’s submissions, a suspended investigation must be resumed if the senior coroner considers there is “sufficient reason” to do so. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… The Met’s 25-page submission concludes by asking the Senior Coroner to find there is no sufficient reason to resume proceedings. It argues that the four fundamental coronial questions have already been answered and that repeating previous investigations would not serve the public interest. Met pre-inquest hearing submiss… Mr Kaba’s family maintains that a full inquest remains necessary to examine the circumstances surrounding his death. Dr Morris has heard submissions from the parties and will deliver his decision on whether the inquest should resume at a later date.
Originally published by UKNIP.
