Chris Kaba: Man shot dead by police in Streatham ‘was due to become a father’

Divya Kohli reports from the scene in South London as the victim is named locally as Chris Kaba

A man who was shot dead by police after a chase in south London was months away from becoming a father, according to the mother of his fiancee.

The man, named locally as Chris Kaba, died in Streatham Hill on Monday night after the Audi he was driving was hemmed in by two police cars.

Officers used a tactic where they deliberately collide with a car to force it to stop to bring the pursuit to an end in Kirkstall Gardens shortly before 10pm.

Locals reported hearing gunshots and the police helicopter hovering overhead.

Kim Alleyne, 49, whose daughter Karimah Waite was engaged to Mr Kaba, said he had an apprenticeship to become an architect.

'He was so loved'

She said: “He was so loved. He was so funny. He was super kind. Crazy. He was always happy. He’d do anything for you.

“He was a fiance, he was due to get married in five months’ time. He’s got a baby on the way that he’s never going to see.

“It’s horrible and so shocking and so sad.”

Ms Alleyne questioned why police shot Mr Kaba, and added her daughter “is in a tremendous amount of pain”.

She added: “She cannot process her feelings because it’s a type of pain that you cannot explain. The baby is due in November.

“If that was a white boy, he would have got a chance to get out the car.”

A 39-year-old man, who lives on nearby New Park Road and asked not to be named, said: “The (driver) drove up New Park Road and turned up Kirkstall Gardens.

“A police car came down Kirkstall Gardens and crashed into him.

“Another police car came in behind him and they had him locked in at the bottom of Kirkstall Gardens.

“The car was immobile when he was shot.”

He added: “The bang was really loud. I was in my house with my gaming headphones on and I heard it.”

Rachel Cook, who lives in nearby Kirkstall Road, said: “I was in bed and heard what sounded like two gunshots in quick succession, then saw flashing lights through the curtains.

“The police helicopter arrived shortly afterwards and we heard lots of squad cars.

“A neighbour told me they saw armed police and that the police performed CPR on the injured man before he was taken off the scene.

“It’s a very quiet residential street and people are very shook up about it.”

A man who lives on Kirkstall Road and asked not to be named said: “I heard what sounded like one or two gunshots and then a lot of commotion.”

The Metropolitan Police said the man who was shot received first aid from officers at the scene before being taken to hospital, but died at 12.16am.

Cordons were in place on Kirkstall Gardens and New Park Road on Tuesday, with a forensic tent put up and officers gathering evidence at the scene.

Friends of the man who died began to gather in the street in the late morning.

Watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it declared an independent investigation shortly before midnight, as is standard after a police shooting, and investigators were sent to the scene.

The IOPC said in a statement: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with all of those affected by this terrible incident.

“Our investigation remains in the very early stages.”

The charity Inquest, which works with bereaved families, said on Twitter it was seeking to make contact with relatives of the man who died.

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