Chris Kaba shot a man in a nightclub days before his death

Chris Kaba, the man shot dead by a firearms officer in south London, was named as the gunman in a nightclub shooting days before he died, it can now be reported.

Kaba was shot in the head during an armed vehicle stop in Streatham on September 5, 2022.

It can now be reported that he shot a man in both legs at the Oval Space nightclub in Tower Hamlets, east London, on August 30, 2022.

He was a rapper who performed under the names Madix or Mad Itch and was part of the 67 Gang, a UK sim group and infamous gang.

The jury in the murder trial of firearms officer Martyn Blake, 40, was not told about Mr Kaba’s criminal background.

A jury at the Old Bailey found Blake guilty of murder on Monday, a verdict Kaba’s family said was “painful proof that the system does not value our lives”.

The judge has now lifted information restrictions in place during the trial on details of Mr. Kaba.

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

An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) marker had been fitted to the car, which alerted the police.

Blake denied intending to kill the 24-year-old, who was not carrying a firearm, and told the trial he believed one of his colleagues might be killed by Mr Kaba’s car as he tried to flee the police stop .

Three other men have already been convicted of their involvement in the Hackney nightclub shooting and are in prison.

During his trial, Mr. Kaba was named by the judge as the gunman. The judge said Mr Kaba shot the man once in the leg while he was on the nightclub’s dance floor, and once outside as the man tried to escape.

Kaba died before being charged in connection with the shooting, but was later named in the indictment at the trial.

In April, the three accused were sentenced to 10 years, nine years and five years and six months respectively.

During the trial of firearms officer Mr Blake, information restrictions also prevented the media from publishing details of Mr Kaba’s other criminal involvement, including previous convictions dating back to his early teenage years.

These include convictions for affray and possession of an imitation firearm.

Metropolitan Police Senior Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy supported the release of Mr Kaba’s gang links. In a court filing filed before the judge’s ruling that lifted restrictions on information about Mr. Kaba, Mr. Cundy said there would be less support for “anti-police violence” as a result.

DAC Cundy also said the public would have been left with a “misleading impression” without all the information relating to Kaba being released after the trial, adding there was “clear potential for emotions to run wild in disarray.”

Kaba, a construction worker who was to be a father, had been followed by police the day he was shot.

After being caught by police cars, he drove backwards and forwards trying to break free; Mr Blake said this led him to believe one of his colleagues was going to die, and he opened fire to stop the car, the jury heard.

Kaba died from a single bullet wound to the forehead.

Raising the case in the Lords, former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe said the legal system should give police officers the benefit of the doubt.

He described the officers as “brave men and women who in a split second have to make the most horrific decision on our behalf.”

One of Blake’s former colleagues, who was at the scene of the Kaba shooting immediately after it happened, told the BBC he believed a system similar to an army court-martial would be more suitable for these cases, rather than judging the officers.

On Monday, Mr Kaba’s family said they were devastated by the verdict and Mr Blake’s acquittal “was not just a failure for our family, but for everyone affected by police violence”.

About 150 people held a vigil outside the Old Bailey on Monday evening, some holding signs with slogans including “this is not justice” and “the police are the perpetrators”.

Sheeda Queen, cousin of Mr. Kaba, a member of the campaign group Justice for Chris, described “a deep pain of injustice, which is added to the unbearable sadness”.

Another activist, Kayza Rose, said the result “reinforces the harsh reality that police can kill without consequence.”

He added: “No one can be safe while the police can kill with impunity.

“This verdict is not the end. It only strengthens our decision.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Mr. Kaba had been charged with attempted murder. This has been amended to reflect that he was named in a charge sheet related to the shooting after his death