Chris Kaba was a ‘core member’ of dangerous South London gang the 67, it emerged today, as CCTV showed him shooting a member of the rival 17 group in a nightclub six days before he died
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CCTV footage shows Chris Kaba opening fire in nightclub
Chris Kaba was a “core member” of one of London’s most dangerous gangs, it has been revealed today.
Reporting restrictions surrounding the 24-year-old’s gang involvement were lifted today after Met Police armed officer Martyn Blake, 40, was acquitted of murder on Monday afternoon. Mr Kaba was said to have shot a rival in the legs at a nightclub six days before he died during the police stop in September 2022, and would have stood trial for attempted murder had he survived.
He was a key figure in the Brixton Hill-based 67 gang, as CCTV showed him gunning down Brandon Malutshi, a member of the rival 17 gang, after spotting him at the Oval Space nightclub in Hackney on August 30, 2022.
Here’s what you need to know about the deadly turf war between the 67 and 17 gangs.
Who are the 67 and 17 gangs?
The 67 (six-seven) gang, also known as the 674, are based out of the Brixton Hill area of Lambeth, south London. They began life as a hip hop collective releasing music under the UK drill genre, but have been identified by police as a criminal gang involved in multiple violent incidents in the capital. They are said to take their name from the telephone code for Brixton Hill.
The 17 gang operate from nearby Wandsworth Road, and are rivals of the 67 gang. Their name is said to come from the date 17-year-old Jordan Malutshi was fatally stabbed in a bar in the early hours of July 1, 2013. Jordan’s brother Brandon, 25, was shot in the legs in a nightclub by Mr Kaba on August 30 2022, an earlier trial of 67 gang associates was told.
What have these gangs done?
According to police intelligence, the 67 gang have been engaging in “violent” clashes with rival groups for control of the London and county lines drug trade. A police report stated: “67 is an identifiable street gang that are in an active and violent dispute with a rival faction of street gangs in Lambeth. This dispute has encompassed numerous firearms discharges, stabbings and murders, the narrative for this dispute has played out in gang-related musical content since 2014. 67 gang and those affiliated to the group are embedded in a culture of drug supply, serious violence, firearms and knife possession.” The 17, a smaller gang, have been embroiled in a cycle of tit-for-tat violence with members of the 67.
What happened in the nightclub six days before Chris Kaba died?
Terrified clubbers fled the dancefloor after Chris Kaba fired a revolver that had been smuggled into the Notting Hill Carnival afterparty at the Oval Space club in Hackney, east London on August 30, 2022. Kaba and his associates entered the club carrying nitrous oxide canisters and balloons with the handgun smuggled past searches and scanners in a manbag by fellow 67 member Marcus Pottinger, 30.
Kaba then fired at Malutshi who was hit but managed to run for his life for the exit, desperately pushing his way through the packed dance floor. Kaba followed his target from the club, fired a number of shots, and then walked back to the club before getting in the back of a Range Rover.
Police arrived quickly, along with an ambulance helicopter, and Malutshi was taken to Royal London Hospital. He was treated with anti-sickness medication, tetanus booster, intravenous painkillers, antibiotics, a single unit of blood transfusion and dressings. A bullet had passed through the front of his left thigh, leaving a 15mm exit wound at the back of the leg. The second shot had gone through the back of his right thigh, narrowly missing major arteries.
Malutshi discharged himself from hospital later that evening against doctor’ss orders, a small bullet fragment still lodged in his right leg. Six days later Kaba, was shot dead after his Audi was stopped by specialist firearms officers in Streatham Hill, south west London.
Why are we only just hearing about Chris Kaba’s gang involvement now?
Before policeman Martyn Blake’s trial began, his defence team had argued that Kaba’s full background should be put before the jury because the nightclub shooting explained why he wanted to escape police. Patrick Gibbs KC said Mr Kaba had been intent on getting away “at any costs no matter the danger to another person”.
But neither the 24-year-old rapper’s gang history nor criminal record was revealed in the trial of firearms officer sergeant Mr Blake after a senior judge ruled it had no bearing on the issues for jurors to decide. In a letter to the court before reporting restrictions were lifted, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy had argued that “open and transparent public disclosure” of Mr Kaba’s bad character would “significantly reduce the risk of unrest on the streets of London and keep the public safe”.
Police marksman Martyn Blake, 40, shot the 24-year-old through the windscreen of an Audi Q8 as the 24-year-old tried to ram his way past police cars on September 5, 2022. He was brought before court but was acquitted of murder on Monday.
An application had been made by Mr Kaba’s mother Helen Lumuanganu to keep a ban on revealing the details in place until after any future inquest into her son’s death. This was rejected after the media successfully challenged the bid.
What has been the reaction to the Chris Kaba verdict?
Mr Kaba’s family said they are “devastated” at the verdict, and have vowed to keep on fighting for justice for their son. Police figures have questioned why the case was ever brought to court, with colleagues said to be “astonished” that Mr Blake ever faced charges.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said that firearms officers “deserve our and the public’s gratitude for their bravery”. “It is obviously crucial that the police have the ability to use their powers with legal certainty and clarity, all in balance with the public’s need to see accountability,” the spokesman said.
