Jermaine Baker: Detectives carry out fresh investigation at scene where 28-year-old was shot dead by police
Officer’s arrest welcomed by community often suspicious of police
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Investigators exploring the death of a man shot dead by police while sitting in a car have carried out fresh inquiries at the scene of the shooting.
Officials from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) sought new witnesses to the fatal incident seven days ago in which 28-year-old Jermaine Baker died. A police officer has been arrested and questioned following the incident.
The killing has prompted widespread disquiet in Tottenham. Feelings are running high and senior Metropolitan officers faced angry scenes at a public meeting in the area.
Local MP David Lammy said that the local community was still “raw” after the death of Mark Duggan in 2011. “There is a lot of anger about the fact that there were no [body] cameras in use, despite that being one of the promises that came out of the death of Mark Duggan. There was a lot of concern about [whether] police were conferring quickly after the incident. Again that was an issue that came after Mark Duggan’s death.”
Cindy Butts, who heads the IPCC investigation, told the meeting that the decision to arrest an officer “was not taken lightly”. She said that after the initial interview of the officers involved took place “there was evidence to indicate a potential criminal offence may have been committed by the officer in his use of lethal force”.
The IPCC says it is unable to confirm or deny claims that Mr Baker was asleep in the car when he was shot. It said where the dead man was sitting and where inside the car a gun was subsequently discovered was the focus of its investigation.
The Police Federation criticised the IPCC for attending the meeting and accused it of making “inflammatory” statements. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation questioned why the IPCC was “bandying words about” like homicide. “I’ve never heard of that before,” he said. “It’s a week before Christmas and this individual’s [the officer] life has been thrown into disarray.”
Privately, community leaders praised the IPCC and Scotland Yard’s approach to the latest shooting. “After Mark Duggan’s shooting there was a march to the police station and nobody came out to talk to people, to address concerns. This time they are at least trying to show they are listening and are trying to learn,” said one. “That said, the lack of body cameras just reminds everyone they don’t learn quickly enough. They need to work much harder to convince people that black lives are not cheaper than white ones.”
David Lammy, who faced personal attacks during the meeting, acknowledged that the IPCC had reacted very differently to the latest shooting than it had after the shooting of Mark Duggan.
The launching of a criminal homicide investigation and the arrest of the firearms officer had “never happened before in my recollection in a case such as this,” he said.
“On this occasion the IPCC has moved very quickly. An officer has been arrested and he’s been suspended”
There was widespread criticism of media reports stating that Mr Baker was a “gang member.” Scotland Yard confirmed he was not on any of the gang member databases.
Four men, Nathan Mason, 30, Gokay Sogucakli, 19, Ozcan Eren, 31 and Eren Hayser, 25, all of whom were arrested at the same time of the shooting, will appear at Wood Green Crown Court in January charged with attempting to help two men Izzet Eren and Erwin Amoyaw-Gyamfi escape from custody. Mr Sogucakli has also been charged with possession of an imitation firearm.