Kamba, an unarmed black man, was killed on September 5 following a police chase in his car that ended in Streatham Hill, south London. His Audi was overtaken by two police vehicles in Kirkstall Gardens, a narrow residential road, and a round was fired from a police weapon. The Met officer involved has been suspended from the force and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating. On Wednesday, Kaba’s family met Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and IOPC director general Michael Lockwood where they were shown CCTV footage of the incident. After the meeting, Kaba’s mother, Helen Nkama, said: “It was difficult… very difficult. “As I’ve said before, my heart is already broken. What I want is justice for my son and I want the truth.” Jefferson Bosella, Kamba’s cousin who was also at the meeting, said: “It’s been difficult, but the family just wants justice. For now, the family is going to take a break and step back.” The meeting between the family and police lasted about 25 minutes, according to Sky News. A statement from the Met confirmed the meeting. “The commissioner met the family of Chris Campa this afternoon,” a force spokesman said on Wednesday. “This was a private meeting.” Investigators from the IOPC will look into whether race was a factor in the fatal shooting. In a statement, the IOPC said it would “investigate all the circumstances” surrounding the 24-year-old father-to-be’s death, including whether “race influenced the actions taken by police.” An inquest into Kamba’s death will begin on October 4. Deborah Coles, chief executive of the charity Inquest, which specializes in state-related deaths and works closely with the rapper’s family, told the Guardian last week that the police response had more to do with the speed of the negative reaction despite the change of commissioner. “The family had a lawyer immediately after his death and the protest was very important to put this on the public and political agenda.” Coles added: “His family just want the truth. They want to understand how and why Chris was killed. This is their legal right.”
