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The family of Chris Kaba have said they ‘will not rest’ until ‘someone held accountable’ for his death.

The 24-year-old, who was unarmed, was shot by police on September 5.

He died in Streatham Hill, south London, after being followed by an unmarked police car which had no lights or sirens turned on, Inner South London Coroner’s Court was told today.

An inquest into Mr Kaba’s death began today.

After his Audi drove down Kirkstall Gardens he was blocked by a marked police vehicle and there was ‘contact’ between the two cars, the court heard.

A police marksman then fired a single shot through the windscreen, hitting Mr Kaba in the head.

The officer, who has not been named by the Met, has still not been questioned under caution.

Speaking outside court after the brief hearing, Mr Kaba’s cousin Jefferson Bosela called for an urgent decision to be made on whether the officer should face criminal charges.

Flanked by Mr Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu, his father Prosper Kaba and his uncle, Mr Bosela said: ‘We need answers. Not just this family, but the whole of London – the whole of the country – needs to know how something like this could occur?

‘How can a young man, sitting in a car, unarmed, be shot in the head by police in London in 2022?

‘This should never have happened. It must never happen again. We must never accept this as normal. Someone must be held accountable.’

He added: ‘An urgent decision on criminal charges is critical for this family, and many others, to have faith in the system that is supposed to bring them justice.’

Lead investigator Dean Brown, of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), told today’s hearing that police had believed the Audi Mr Kaba was driving was linked to a firearms incident which had taken place the previous day.

An automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) marker had been placed upon it.

Mr Brown told the hearing: ‘A briefing was provided to officers prior to their shift on September 5 in which the Audi was brought to their attention as being potentially associated with the firearms incident the previous day. Mr Kaba’s name was not included in this briefing.

‘According to police logs and accounts received to date by officers, the Audi was recognised by officers parked at the side of the A202 in Camberwell Green in an unmarked armed response vehicle (ARV).

‘The officers then started to follow the vehicle and circulated this via police airwaves at around 9.52pm.

‘Officers continued to follow the Audi until 10.07pm. The officers did not activate their lights or sirens while following the vehicle. The intention was to use an “enforced stop extraction” on the Audi.’

Mr Brown went on to discuss the moments before Mr Kaba was shot.

The armed officer who shot the 24-year-old has not been named in the inquest, but is referred to as ‘NX121’.

‘The evidence further suggests that officer NX121 was standing to the front of Mr Kaba’s vehicle,’ said Mr Brown.

‘A single shot was fired by officer NX121 piercing the front windscreen of the vehicle Mr Kaba was driving and struck him.’

Officers at the scene gave him first aid and he was rushed to Kings College Hospital in Camberwell but was pronounced dead at 12.12am.

Senior Coroner Andrew Harris has adjourned the inquest to a new date which has not been set.

The shooting is being investigated as a potential homicide and the IOPC probe is expected to take six to nine months, which Mr Kaba’s family say is too long.

Mr Bosela said: ‘We know there are many, many people who are as concerned about what happened to Chris as his family and friends are.

‘For many of them, Chris could have been their son, their brother, their cousin, their friend. In communities across London, what happened to Chris feels very personal. They understand and feel the pain our family is going through.’

Construction worker Mr Kaba was months away from becoming a father when he died.

Mr Bosela said: ‘My cousin Chris was very much loved by us. His loss is with us every day.

‘He had a bright future ahead of him – his first child was about to be born. That his life was cut short by a police officer is a tragedy.

‘We will not rest until the people responsible for Chris’s death are held fully accountable.’

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