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Chris Kaba, 24, shot dead by police in Streatham, Mon 5th Sept 2022

Strange no one brought that up here when eg Lee rigby was killed, it's always when the cops kill someone

Of course, despite what some of the loons here will suggest regarding his occupation; Rigby wasn't a criminal gangster, actively engaged in criminal activity against police officers, and presenting an outrageously serious potential threat to the public, at the time of his partial beheading.
 
I don't think I'm a scoundrel, but you're entitled to your opinion. And it's not ALWAYS when the cops kill someone, but it's true when a shooty gangster gets shot.
I didn't say it's said every time the cops kill someone, it's a way of saying some lives can legitimately be taken by the police even tho in at least this case Blake did not know who he was shooting.
 
The cop stated that he was aiming for the body-mass, which is what they are trained to do. Shooting through the thick glass of the windscreen, at a moving vehicle would make it very hard to place the shot in an exact position.
Have to admit that I'd not heard that part of his defence. I assume the jury also bought that part of his account. Can't say that I find that at all convincing; at the point of discharging the firearm, the body-worn video footage has Blake standing close to what was, by then a wedged stationary vehicle.
 
I've read this thread and some news reports but not the court reports. So this is my opinion based on the preceding. I'm not a fan of the police either.

In the position that the shooter found himself, I think I'd have done the same.

He had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice, who was aggressively trying to evade arrest. He was also driving at the shooter.

I believe that, in these circumstances, it isn't unreasonable to assume my, or my colleagues' lives were, or were likely to be, threatened. In this instance I'd have opened fire.

If the victim had just stopped and got out I think there's a good chance he'd be alive today.

Ultimately, as much as I think shooting people in the street is wrong, in this case I believe it's a justifiable outcome.

As more information comes out, perhaps we all will be able to make a better assessment of guilt or otherwise.
 
Have to admit that I'd not heard that part of his defence. I assume the jury also bought that part of his account. Can't say that I find that at all convincing; at the point of discharging the firearm, the body-worn video footage has Blake standing close to what was, by then a wedged stationary vehicle.

No, as I stated up-thread, from the bodycam footage, to my eyes it didn't justify the shot, imagine the CPS felt that way too for it to get to court and the other cops seemed to be surprised to hear a shot ring out. But the jury bought it and from the cop's perspective, that's all that matters, there'll certainly be no double-jeopardy in a case such as this.
 
...include...don't take out suspects with headshots, unless they are perceived as an active shooter or about to detonate an explosive device.

Where did you come across this part of police training?

Can you provide a link to it?

Sounds like you've made it up ;)
 
if you’re driving round in a vehicle that’s been linked to at least one shooting, you’re probably gonna have a fair bit more contact with Aunt police than the average citizen. Especially if you try to force your way from being arrested. The idea the police should’ve not tried to stop said vehicle and gone round later the next day, is just ridiculous. they didn’t know who the occupant was, had a reasonable belief that the occupant may have been armed, no idea where the vehicle was going and to do what.
Not to sound like I'm defending the police, but if they did not act quick and whoever was in the car had gone on and murderd someone then they would have been held responsible for that.

We may disagree with how the police assessed the risks and the choice they made, but there was no risk free option.
 
Yes, it's clear that, based on intelligence, the operational decision to effect a hard stop had been made. What is very unclear is why Blake effected that with a shot through the forehead.
He didn't he shot center of mass as they are trained to do but hit the head instead, as I understand it that is why you shoot for the center of mass, tou are more likely to hit something.

I'm sorry but real reality is not like a film there is no shooting to incapacitate in an arm or a leg, especially not in the dark when shooting someone sat in a moving car.
 
As reported in media.

In that case it sounds like the media making it up. There's a surprise.

'No headshots unless he's about to shoot, or explode a device' sounds like complete bollocks to me.

The police aren't normally trained to shoot at heads anyway. And what about people armed with knives, spears, maces, crossbows, bows and arrows, corrosive substances, biological weapons, rayguns .... etc?

Can you link to where you've seen this?
 
I've read this thread and some news reports but not the court reports. So this is my opinion based on the preceding. I'm not a fan of the police either.

In the position that the shooter found himself, I think I'd have done the same.

He had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice, who was aggressively trying to evade arrest. He was also driving at the shooter.

I believe that, in these circumstances, it isn't unreasonable to assume my, or my colleagues' lives were, or were likely to be, threatened. In this instance I'd have opened fire.

If the victim had just stopped and got out I think there's a good chance he'd be alive today.

Ultimately, as much as I think shooting people in the street is wrong, in this case I believe it's a justifiable outcome.

As more information comes out, perhaps we all will be able to make a better assessment of guilt or otherwise.

It's a tragic incident and we really need to get our facts right in discussing it.

The car was stopped as it was connected to a firearms incident the day before involving three masked men. The car was not linked to the deceased. The police had no idea who the driver was but because of the involvement of the vehicle in the incident the day before had declared a firearms incident hence the presence of a trained and armed officer. The officer who shot Kabba was not aware of the identity of the driver of the vehicle.

The idea that the firearms officer had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice is clearly not the case.*

* this should read ‘The firearms officers were there due to the involvement of the vehicle in a previous firearms incident . However the idea that the firearms officer had reason to believe he was dealing with a criminal who had shot someone twice ie Kabba is clearly not the case . ‘


The idea that the driver was shot because he might go on and murder someone ( unless this is connected with the threat to the officers surrounding or near the car is wrong.
The idea that the driver was shot because he might runover a child if he escaped is wrong.

 
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I've read this thread and some news reports but not the court reports. So this is my opinion based on the preceding. I'm not a fan of the police either.

In the position that the shooter found himself, I think I'd have done the same.

He had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice, who was aggressively trying to evade arrest. He was also driving at the shooter.

The BIB. The only part of your sentence that is true there is "was aggressively trying to evade arrest". Everything else is "likely" "had reason to believe" or plain wrong (the car was hemmed in and no longer going anywhere).

I've seen posters elsewhere on here describe it as a "2-ton TRUCK". I mean, why exaggerate even more than the police did in court if you are so sure of your case? Why not use the police's actual words in court which were;

"He was armed with a 2.5 ton Audi"

Yes, they actually said that.

Why don't some of you just admit you want all bad boys off your street, you don't care how it's done, and you're fine with summary execution?

Then fuck off to, I dunno, Russia or somewhere where your views would fit in nicely.
 
It's a tragic incident and we really need to get our facts right in discussing it.

The car was stopped as it was connected to a firearms incident the day before involving three masked men. The car was not linked to the deceased. The police had no idea who the driver was but because of the involvement of the vehicle in the incident the day before had declared a firearms incident hence the presence of a trained and armed officer. The officer who shot Kabba was not aware of the identity of the driver of the vehicle.

The idea that the firearms officer had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice is clearly not the case.
The idea that the driver was shot because he might go on and murder someone ( unless this is connected with the threat to the officers surrounding or near the car is wrong.
The idea that the driver was shot because he might runover a child if he escaped is wrong.
I'm not sure understand your reasoning here. The car was involved in a shooting, therefore the police had resaon to believe that the driver had engaged in criminal behaviour and was potentially armed, that fact that they didn't know his name is irrelevant.
 
Well it looks like the CPS did the right thing in their book by releasing this information, cos now we're all bickering amongst ourselves instead of being concerned that someone was shot by the police.

Whatever someone has done, we do not live in a society where being shot instead of having a trial should be seen as OK.
 
The idea that the firearms officer had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice is clearly not the case.

Not quite. Whilst they wouldn't have known who was in the car and therefore that he had shot someone previously, is neither here nor there. They knew the vehicle was used in a shooting the day before, so would absolutely correctly have approached the situation assuming that the occupant could be armed.

The idea that the driver was shot because he might go on and murder someone ( unless this is connected with the threat to the officers surrounding or near the car is wrong.

I don't think anyone's suggested that, but the decision to enforce the hard stop would most certainly take into account the wider threat to the public of not doing so.

If Kaba wasn't a violent gangster who shoots people, he wouldn't have been shot.
 
It's a tragic incident and we really need to get our facts right in discussing it.

The car was stopped as it was connected to a firearms incident the day before involving three masked men. The car was not linked to the deceased. The police had no idea who the driver was but because of the involvement of the vehicle in the incident the day before had declared a firearms incident hence the presence of a trained and armed officer. The officer who shot Kabba was not aware of the identity of the driver of the vehicle.

The idea that the firearms officer had reason to believe he was likely to be dealing with a known criminal, possibly armed, who had shot someone twice is clearly not the case.
The idea that the driver was shot because he might go on and murder someone ( unless this is connected with the threat to the officers surrounding or near the car is wrong.
The idea that the driver was shot because he might runover a child if he escaped is wrong.
Those are not the facts.

The car was owned by Bell, Kaba’s associate who is now serving time for the shooting that Kaba carried out in a crowded Hackney nightclub. The firearms officer had every reason to believe it was being driven by a known criminal. They were following it and stopping it because they thought there was going to be further gang beef. Read the Times article pbsmooth linked to.
 
Why don't some of you just admit you want all bad boys off your street ...

Happy to. Although I wouldn't support "summary execution" which is just silly, emotive nonsense, and not what this was at all.

The police did a pretty good job here. It would have been preferable if Kaba had not been shot, but not at the expense of someone else getting killed or seriously injured.

Any sympathy I may have had for him evaporated when I found out what kind of person he was.
 
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Maybe, but it is not relevant to the shooting.
well, it is and it isn't. if he hadn't been a gang member he wouldn't have been in that car, which had been used in a shooting, which is why the police were making it stop, and presumably why he was less inclined to just get out of his car like any normal person. but I know the point you're trying to make.
I think the back story is more relevant to the ongoing talk of police racism, the community being damaged by what's happened and the family's response. at some point there should probably be a little more acceptance, and responsibility taken, of the life he led and where it led him.
 
I'm not sure understand your reasoning here. The car was involved in a shooting, therefore the police had resaon to believe that the driver had engaged in criminal behaviour and was potentially armed, that fact that they didn't know his name is irrelevant.

Not quite. Whilst they wouldn't have known who was in the car and therefore that he had shot someone previously, is neither here nor there. They knew the vehicle was used in a shooting the day before, so would absolutely correctly have approached the situation assuming that the occupant could be armed.



I don't think anyone's suggested that, but the decision to enforce the hard stop would most certainly take into account the wider threat to the public of not doing so.

If Kaba wasn't a violent gangster who shoots people, he wouldn't have been shot.
Yes I didn't phrase that the way I should have done. To be clear the police would have called the firearms incident because of the potential for the driver and any occupants to be armed which is understandable and complies with procedure.

The driver was shot because the firearms officer thought there was threat of serious harm to the police officer present not because of the driver's antecedent history.
 
well, it is and it isn't. if he hadn't been a gang member he wouldn't have been in that car, which had been used in a shooting, which is why the police were making it stop, and presumably why he was less inclined to just get out of his car like any normal person. but I know the point you're trying to make.
I think the back story is more relevant to the ongoing talk of police racism, the community being damaged by what's happened and the family's response. at some point there should probably be a little more acceptance, and responsibility taken, of the life he led and where it led him.
I agree that the backstory matters for wider context, but it does not really factor into discussion of the shooting as the police did not know who was in the car. If they had I think there is a chance he would still be alive as they would probably have preferred to go to his address.
 
In that case it sounds like the media making it up. There's a surprise.

'No headshots unless he's about to shoot, or explode a device' sounds like complete bollocks to me.

The police aren't normally trained to shoot at heads anyway. And what about people armed with knives, spears, maces, crossbows, bows and arrows, corrosive substances, biological weapons, rayguns .... etc?

Can you link to where you've seen this?
The operational guidelines that armed police operate under are readily available online and the headshot operation (Kratos) is also widely discussed online following the De Menezes tragedy.
 
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