Chris Kaba made a phone call shortly before he was shot dead by police that will prove “monumentally significant” to the investigation into his death, his cousin said.
Mr Kaba, a 24-year-old father-to-be, rang an unnamed person a short time before he was forced to stop the Audi he was driving in Streatham Hill, South London, at 10.07pm on September 5.
Jefferson Bosela, his cousin, says that last call will have a huge bearing on the probe being carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Mr Bosela, 27, said: “Chris was on the phone to someone before everything happened. I can’t say much more than that.
“The police didn’t mistake the phone for a weapon, that wouldn’t make sense, and we don’t know how long he was on the phone for. It’s really relevant, but I can’t say why.
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PA)“Who he was on the phone to was significant, monumentally significant.
“It’s a big one, but I can’t say any more about it because it changes everything.”
It emerged at the opening of his inquest on Tuesday that Mr Kaba had been the target of a “silent follow” by an unmarked police car for 15 minutes before officers boxed him in when he took an unexpected turn.
In the hours after the shooting, the Met had claimed the unarmed rapper had been the subject of a pursuit, something the force and the IOPC left uncorrected for a month. Mr Kaba was killed by a single shot to the head fired by an officer referred to only as NX121. NX121 has been suspended and notified they are under investigation for murder.
Inner South London Coroner’s Court heard Mr Kaba was not a suspect and had been followed by an unmarked car.
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Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)The blue Audi had been flagged by an automatic number plate recognition camera as potentially linked to a firearms incident the previous day.
Mr Kaba’s family were shown CCTV film of his final moments, which they now want the police to make public.
Mr Bosela, who has quit his job as a teacher to campaign for justice, was amongst family who viewed the body at Greenwich Public Mortuary.
He said: “It was so difficult. Before, it felt like a nightmare, but when we saw him it was real life, he was gone. We realised he’s not getting back up. It was hard seeing his mum and dad break down.
Image:
Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)“The whole room was wailing and crying. Chris had a bandage over his head where they shot him, but he looked handsome and very peaceful, majestic almost. It was so sad.”
Scotland Yard said: “Our initial statements said firearms officers were in pursuit of a suspect vehicle. This was based on information available in the very early stages of the incident.
“The IOPC investigation looking into the full circumstances surrounding Mr Kaba’s death continues.”
