Chris Kaba ‘core member’ of one of London’s most dangerous gangs

By Staff reporter
Published 22nd Oct 2024, 13:37 GMT
Updated 22nd Oct 2024, 13:55 GMT
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Chris Kaba was a “core member” of one of London’s most dangerous criminal gangs and was allegedly directly linked to two shootings in the six days before he was shot dead by police, it can now be reported.

The 24-year-old was said to have shot a rival in the legs at a nightclub six days before he died in September 2022, and would have stood trial for attempted murder had he survived.

He was also found to have gunshot residue on his sleeve and a balaclava in his pocket on the night he was killed by a police marksman, which it was suggested was evidence he had been involved in a second shooting the previous night.

He had previous convictions for possession of weapons, and the Audi that he was driving when he was killed was linked to three previous firearms incidents in five months.placeholder image
He had previous convictions for possession of weapons, and the Audi that he was driving when he was killed was linked to three previous firearms incidents in five months.

Details of his criminal background can now be revealed after Mr Justice Goss lifted reporting restrictions at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

Police marksman Martyn Blake, 40, was cleared of Mr Kaba’s murder at the same court on Monday.

He shot the 24-year-old through the windscreen of an Audi Q8 as the 24-year-old tried to ram his way past police cars on September 5 2022.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said that firearms officers “deserve our and the public’s gratitude for their bravery”.

“It is obviously crucial that the police have the ability to use their powers with legal certainty and clarity, all in balance with the public’s need to see accountability,” the spokesman said.placeholder image
“It is obviously crucial that the police have the ability to use their powers with legal certainty and clarity, all in balance with the public’s need to see accountability,” the spokesman said.

An application had been made by Mr Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu to keep a ban on revealing the details in place until after any future inquest into her son’s death.

But this was rejected after the media successfully challenged the bid.

In a letter to the court, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy had argued that “open and transparent public disclosure” of Mr Kaba’s bad character would “significantly reduce the risk of unrest on the streets of London and keep the public safe”.

Police officers did not know who was driving the Audi on the night Mr Kaba died, but they did know it had been used as a getaway car in a shooting in Brixton, south London, the night before.

It was also linked to the Hackney nightclub shooting for which Mr Kaba would have stood trial for attempted murder.

The prosecution case was that he had gunned down a key figure in a rival gang after spotting him at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, north London, early on August 30 2022.placeholder image
The prosecution case was that he had gunned down a key figure in a rival gang after spotting him at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, north London, early on August 30 2022.

Footage allegedly shows him firing the gun in the crowded club and again taking aim at his victim outside, before Brandon Malutshi, a member of the rival 17 gang, collapses to the ground.

Before Mr Blake’s trial began, his defence team had argued that the full background should be put before the jury, because the nightclub shooting explained why Mr Kaba wanted to escape police.

Patrick Gibbs KC said Mr Kaba had been intent on getting away “at any costs no matter the danger to another person”.

Neither the 24-year-old rapper’s gang history nor criminal record was revealed in the trial of firearms officer sergeant Mr Blake after a senior judge ruled it had no bearing on the issues for jurors to decide.