The man who led the investigation into the police shooting of the unarmed driver Chris Kaba spoke about the case for the first time after a police officer with firearms was cleared of murder.

Metropolitan Police Sergeant Martyn Blake last month he was unanimously acquitted by a jury of killing Mr. Kaba, 24, after he tried to get out of a police stop.

The case sparked a wave of debate police responsibility as police leaders hit out at the decision to press charges against the firearms officer. The Home Secretary has since announced plans to award a police marksman anonymity in court until sentencing.

However, Sal Naseem, who led the investigation into the shooting for police watchdog the Independent Office for the Conduct of Policing (IIOPC), said he had a “visceral reaction” to watching the body-worn camera footage of the incident , which lasted less than 20 seconds.

“It’s a split second decision but for (Sgt Blake) to discharge the firearm there has to be a significant threat to life,” he said. BBC Panorama. “At the time he did it, I just didn’t think there was a cause.”

The IOPC referred the investigation to the Crown Prosecution Service, which said the case met the test for prosecution following a detailed examination of the evidence.

Meanwhile, Mr Kaba’s family, who staged protests following the not guilty verdict, said they were “shocked and surprised” to discover the 24-year-old had been involved in a shooting at the night club just five days before the police stop.

After the trial, a judge lifted reporting restrictions preventing the media from reporting on Mr Kaba’s previous convictions and links to a notorious south London gang called the Lambeth “67”.

CCTV from a separate trial showed Mr Kaba shooting a rival in the leg on a packed dance floor at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney, east London, on August 30, 2022, before chasing him outside and shooting again. If he had not been killed, Mr. Kaba would most likely have been tried for attempted murder following this incident.

The Audi he was driving on September 5 had also been linked to another shooting the night before, but officers had no information on who was driving when they surrounded the vehicle in Streatham, south London.

Mr Kaba’s father, Prosper, told the BBC that “the role of the police is not to kill”.

Their son should instead have been tried and, if convicted, gone to prison for the criminal activity they now know he was involved in, he added.