UK police officer cleared of murder of Black man

LONDON: A British police officer was acquitted on Monday of the murder of a Black man he shot dead in London two years ago, an incident that led to large protests and anger among the capital’s Black community.

Martyn Blake, 40, had pleaded “not guilty” to the murder of Chris Kaba, who was unarmed and died from a single gunshot to the head in south London on Sept. 5, 2022. Blake had shot Kaba through the windscreen after he tried to drive his car, which had been linked to a reported shooting the previous evening, away from police vehicles that had boxed him in.

The head of London’s Metropolitan police force, Mark Rowley, said Blake had made a split-second decision. “Any fatal use of force understandably prompts huge concern among communities, particularly in Black communities where trust in policing is low,” he said. “There remains much for us to do to strengthen confidence in our service.”

Blake was acquitted by a jury after a three-week trial at London’s Old Bailey court. His suspension from duty will be lifted immediately, the Metropolitan police said. Kaba’s family said in a statement issued by the charity Inquest that they were left with “the deep pain of injustice adding to the unbearable sorrow we have felt since Chris was killed.”