Fundraiser launched to support family of Chris Kaba as trial of firearms officer begins

A fundraiser has been set up by a youth group to fund emotional support services and campaign activities for Chris Kaba’s family, as the Met officer charged with his murder faces trial.

The trial of the Met firearms officer, Martyn Blake, charged with the murder of Mr Kaba, began on Wednesday of last week.

Mr Kaba was killed while unarmed when he was shot through the windscreen of a car in Kirkstall Gardens, Streatham, on September 5, 2022.

The 23-year-old, from Wembley, was also known as rapper Madiz and was part of the MOBO-nominated drill group 67. He was due to become a father before he was shot following a car chase.

The youth organisation, 4FRONT, launched a GoFundMe page on behalf of Mr Kaba’s family and the Justice For Chris Kaba Campaign on the first day of Blake’s trial.

The fundraiser aims to raise £15,000 to highlight the case and support the victims family under the banner “Justice for Chris Kaba Trial and Emotional Support”. It has already reached £12,375 in under a week.

Money raised will fund emotional care, campaign coordination support, and trial costs, including travel, food and logistics for the trial – involving attending daily from at least 9 am to 5 pm, organisers said.

The fundraiser states: “The Kaba family is still grieving, still seeking answers, and still in need of your support. 

“Families that are bereaved by the state are left to fight for their loved one – unsupported and unresourced. It shouldn’t be this way. As a community, we can build supportive infrastructure to ease this burden.”

Blake was charged with murder in September.

The charge followed a lengthy homicide investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which passed its file to the CPS in March.

The IOPC confirmed Mr Kaba died after he was struck by a single gunshot into the vehicle he was driving.

Following the completion of its investigation in March 2023, it referred a file of evidence to the CPS, which authorised the murder charge.

Blake denies the charge and the trial is expected to continue for up to three weeks.

Pictured top: Chris Kaba’s family outside the South London Coroner’s Court after Blake was charged with murder in September (Picture: PA)