Chris Kaba, 24, was shot and killed by London police earlier this month, reports say. According to The Guardian, the cop who fired the shot has been suspended by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). But in addition to an investigation that has left many unanswered questions, Kaba’s family was notified about the incident nearly half a day after he was pronounced dead.
Kaba was driving an Audi that was allegedly linked to a firearms incident, reports say. The vehicle was rammed and cornered by Metropolitan police cars. Then, one officer fired a shot through the windshield. The officers gave Kaba CPR and called for an ambulance but he died later in the hospital. The cops didn’t find a gun in Kaba’s car and failed to immediately notify the family he was dead.
“The family found out 11 hours [after he died], so his mum would have woken up and have gone to work not knowing that her son wasn’t alive any more,” said Jefferson Bosela, Kaba’s cousin and a spokesperson for the family, to BBC.
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“I think the second an investigation was opened he should have been suspended from there,” Bosela said. “You know, it’s the fact that the IOPC are moving a bit too slow. First we wanted a criminal investigation opened and that took three to four days, and then we wanted the officer suspended and that took another two days. So it seems that there is no urgency in their dealings in this tragic matter.”
Bosela added: “[The IOPC] have been extremely vague throughout the whole investigation, in terms of just very simple details … and when it comes to them explaining how long the investigation will take they’ve been just as vague. They’re not really being helpful and I think that has definitely caused a lot of upset not just for the family, but for the local community as well.”
Hundreds protested demanding justice for Kaba, and the case drew attention from rap artist Stormzy. “No mother should bury their child murdered by police,” he said at the demonstration.
The officer responsible for Kaba’s death was removed from frontline duties and the IOPC launched a homicide investigation into the shooting, per ABC News. However, Kaba’s family believe they were too slow to act and only moved under pressure from the public.