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UK police firearms officer pleads not guilty to Black man’s murder

By Thomson Reuters Mar 8, 2024 | 4:16 AM

LONDON (Reuters) – A British police officer on Friday pleaded not guilty in a London court to the murder of a Black man who was shot dead during an incident in London.

Chris Kaba, 24, who was unarmed, died from a single gunshot after his car was stopped by police firearms specialists in Streatham Hill, south London, in September 2022.

His death led to large protests and anger among the capital’s Black community.

The officer who shot Kaba was previously identified only as NX121, but named for the first time as Martyn Blake when he entered his plea at London’s Old Bailey court on Friday.

Blake, 40, will stand trial at the same court in October.

Members of Kaba’s family sat in court during the brief hearing.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden)