Chris Kaba’s family welcomes the Met firearms officer’s suspension but says there was “no urgency”.
Image source, Kaba familyThe officer who shot dead Chris Kaba in south London should have been suspended sooner, the victim’s family says.
The 24-year-old rapper, who was unarmed, was killed by a single shot in Streatham Hill on 5 September.
Mr Kaba’s family welcomed the suspension but said there was “no urgency” around the investigation.
His cousin, Jefferson Bosela, told the BBC the officer should have been suspended as soon as the homicide investigation was launched on Friday.
The police watchdog, Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), began a murder investigation on 9 September.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr Bosela told Radio 4’s Today programme: “We welcome that decision but, to be honest, I think as soon as the second a criminal investigation was opened he should have been suspended from there.
“You know, first we wanted a criminal investigation opened and that took four days, and then the officer being suspended took another two days.
“So it seems like there’s no urgency in their dealings with this quite tragic matter.”
The Met Police said in its statement on Monday the firearms officer had been suspended due to the “significant impact on public confidence”, but its decision did “not determine the outcome of the IOPC investigation”.
Mr Kaba, who was due to become a father, was stopped by firearms officers when his car was flagged by a number plate recognition camera.
Mr Bosela said the family wanted to know if police officers believed they were stopping the suspected owner of the car or Mr Kaba, who the family says was not the registered owner.
The family is also demanding the IOPC releases police-worn camera footage of the shooting and aerial helicopter footage, as well as a timeline for the investigation.
‘They’re struggling’
Mr Bosela said: “Chris’s parents are suffering an unimaginable loss. The nature in which he died makes it really harsh and so difficult. They’re so strong but they’re struggling.”
He added: “We want the footage to be shown to the family to have a clear understanding of what happened.”
News of the officer’s suspension came as Mr Kaba’s family and friends joined members of the local community at a candlelit vigil, in the residential street where he was fatally shot, to mark one week since his death.
“At the vigil, his mother was saying, ‘Chris, what were you saying in your last minutes? I wish I had just one minute with you, speak to me please’. It was heart-breaking,” Mr Bosela continued.
‘Really important decision’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the decision by Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley to suspend the officer was “a really important decision”, which he “fully” supported.
The mayor added it was important the IOPC had the time it needed to carry out its investigation properly.
MP for Streatham Bell Ribeiro-Addy, who is supporting the Kaba family, said: “The Met have finally suspended the officer who fired the shot that killed Chris Kaba.
“It shouldn’t have taken public pressure to make this happen.
“Time to honour the family’s further demands without delay.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe page,which aims to raise £50,000, and an Instagram account.
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