Chris Hippo’s family asks UN to investigate police shooting | Police

UN asked to consider Chris Kaba’s death in global probe into ‘police brutality’ and racism.

In a move supported by his family, charity hearing I have submitted detailed concerns to the United Nations Office for Human Rights about the police shooting of an unarmed black male hippo.

Hippo, 24, was shot in the head in a parked car after being chased by police in Streatham Hill in the south. London5 September.

In the same letter on Friday, Inquest also outlined the disturbing circumstances surrounding the recent death of Odeji Omishore, 41, who fell from Chelsea Bridge in west London after being tased by police. .

Both incidents involved the police. provoked widespread outrage And demand a new discussion of police violence and racism.

The Kabba and Omishore families urge the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to consider the case, which has been investigating “police brutality” and human rights “violations by law enforcement agencies against Africans and people of African descent” is doing.

The United Nations Office for Human Rights was tasked with producing a comprehensive report in June 2020, one month after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. Report on systemic racism against blacks.

A year later, the report concluded that member states, including the UK, needed to end the “impunity” enjoyed by police officers who violate the human rights of black people.

The Secretariat will continue its analysis and “monitor progress on accountability and the redress of systemic racism”.

Inquest Director Deborah Coles said:

Sources supporting the Kabba family also said they were surprised that new Home Secretary Suela Braverman chose to remain silent about the shooting. under public scrutiny and ridges on the case.

Her predecessor, Pretty Patel’s last act was to summon the Metropolitan. police To learn from the “horrible mistakes of the past.”

Hippo’s shooting took place three months after Omishore’s death. There are questions as to why the family had to wait three months to be shown body camera footage of the officers, and why police initially said Omishore was armed with a screwdriver but was in fact a lighter. remain.

Police reportedly recovered an item the man was carrying from the bridge shortly after the incident.Shortly after Omishore’s death, London Metropolitan Police said police were called after a report that a man was holding a driver. rice field.

Coles added: “Time and again we see the demonization of the deceased to divert attention from important issues of police action and police accountability to the rule of law.”

A statement from the Omishore family read: use of force. We strongly believe that this power led to Desi’s untimely and avoidable death.

“There was no apparent risk assessment or effort to mitigate the situation in accordance with police guidelines. Deji was clearly in distress and was experiencing a mental health crisis. I strongly believe it is illegal and it is a very sad reminder of how black people are treated in contact with the police.

The IOPC is currently awaiting post-mortem results to establish Omishore’s cause of death. There is a separate homicide investigation into Hippo’s death, including a criminal investigation by police officers.

A UN report has documented numerous police-involved deaths in the UK, including the case of Kevin Clark, who died after being detained by police in London in 2018.

The IOPC has reopened its investigation into Clarke’s death in August 2021.