this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2023
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Prosecutors have charged a Metropolitan Police officer with murder after he shot rapper Chris Kaba in London last year.

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[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago

Here in the States he would have won a free vacation (suspension with pay) and suffered no actual consequences.

[–] peter@feddit.uk 37 points 1 year ago

Nice to see consequences

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Where did this constable think he was? America?

[–] NuPNuA@lemm.ee 12 points 1 year ago

I mean, it takes a lot to get armed officers out in the UK, they don't just all carry. This cas will determine if he acted proportionally to the threat or not.

[–] Wildf1re@lemm.ee 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is England not America, so the title makes sense. It is written in English, not simplified English.

[–] PiousAgnostic@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

It makes total sense in America. Here we would have shot him before he was dead though.

[–] theragu40@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If a headline can be interpreted in multiple ways because the word choice makes it vague it is the headline that is the problem, not the reader.

This is solved by choosing more precise language. "Cop who fatally shot unarmed black man" is just as concise but is also unambiguous.

Let's not let our desire to make fun of Americans get in the way of doing things properly.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The word order of this title is just… yikes.

[–] Polar@lemmy.ca 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's actually the correct way to write a headline, but it definitely feels weird.

The man was shot dead, as in, not shot and injured.

You learn to format titles a certain way in school, as to keep them short and to the point. Sometimes they can be read multiple ways, though, but it's not wrong.

[–] reverendsteveii@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Okay but no one says "shot dead black man". It would be "shot black man dead".

[–] talentedkiwi@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Or 'shot and killed' maybe?

[–] DarkDreamer13@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Maybe even "fatally shot"?

[–] naught@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

Could also be "Shot Dead an Unarmed Black Man"

[–] IveGotRedOnMe@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

This is the most correct I think

[–] SmoothIsFast@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lol, it sounds like he shot a man who was already dead.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 year ago

I expect so little form cops that I read it that way and just accepted it.

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] BingoBangoBongo@midwest.social 10 points 1 year ago

Idk why he would shoot a dead man

[–] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 6 points 1 year ago

...who shot dead, unarmed black man...

Nope, no commas necessary mate

[–] NickwithaC@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Word order:

London Cop Who Shot Unarmed Black Man Dead Charged With Murder

[–] FiniteLooper@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (27 children)
[–] Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Dammit...thats what i said in another post!

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[–] Syldon@feddit.uk 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Needs more information, which obviously will come out after the trial.

[–] livus@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

@Syldon

Here's some from a more detailed article:

There are still many unknown details about Chris Kaba’s death. What we do know is that on 5 September, Kaba was driving through south London when an automatic number plate recognition camera flagged the car he was in as recently being linked to a firearms incident. The IOPC has said that the car was not registered under Kaba’s name.

Police officers then pursued Kaba, eventually performing a “controlled stop” – two police vehicles collided with his car, cornering him in Streatham Hill. A specialist firearms officer then fired a single shot at the driver’s side through the windscreen, hitting Kaba in the back of the head. He was taken to hospital, where he died two hours later. According to Kaba’s family, they were not told of his death for 11 hours.

After a thorough search of the car Kaba was driving, the IOPC reported that no firearm was found

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think this leaves out a bit.

At around 10.07pm, Kaba made a left turn from New Park Road onto Kirkstall Gardens.[5] A marked armed response vehicle was waiting on this road.[5] Police vehicles boxed the car in, and witnesses claimed that Kaba ignored repeated orders to get out of the vehicle, and was trying to ram the Audi through the roadblock.[6] Armed officers exited their vehicles then approached the Audi on foot.[5] According to the IOPC, a police officer fired a single round at Kaba through the car's windscreen, striking him.[5][6] He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries just after 12:00 am the following day.[7]

Also I found this really interesting

On 21 September the family of the deceased viewed the police body-worn camera footage of the incident. Having seen it, Kaba's cousin said that they would be taking a step back in their protest about the death.

The original BBC article words it a bit differently

Afterwards, Mr Kaba's cousin Jefferson Bosela repeated Ms Nkama's comments, saying the family now wants "justice" but that they would now be taking a "step back" after some initial campaigning following Mr Kaba's death.

Not sure what they changed their mind about

[–] Manmoth@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

This should be the top comment right here. Some actual context around what happened.

[–] reverendsteveii@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'd love to know what "recently linked to a firearms incident" actually means, especially given that it seems to have been flagged by an automated system and that "firearms incident" was seen as justification to ram a car off the road and then shoot the occupant in the back before any actual threat was verified.

[–] livus@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

According to OP's article it had been used in a shooting. Still not really an excuse to kill its occupant though.

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[–] Syldon@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah I looked around. It still needs the trial to be completed first.

Did the guy do something silly that made the policeman shoot, is an unanswered question.

What was the criteria for releasing the shot would be the second question. The CPS will not prosecute without a fair chance at conviction, but innocent until proven and all that.

You could also be asking what was he doing in a car with the history it had, but that should not be justification to kill someone. I would not wish for the UK to follow in the US footsteps of frivolous shootings.

[–] RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

Did the guy do something silly that made the policeman shoot, is an unanswered question.

I saw this in the Wikipedia article

But witnesses claimed the driver ignored police requests to give himself up and when he attempted to ram his way out of the roadblock, officers opened fire.

Dunno how the situation actually went down though

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