On Friday 11th December, Jermaine Baker (28) was shot dead by an armed officer as police tried to obstruct an alleged conspiracy to help two prisoners escape from the police van. However, it has been said that the Metropolitan police have no credible intelligence or evidence that Jermaine Baker had any previous links to gang-related crime.
The firearms officer who shot dead Jermaine Baker has now been arrested over the fatal shooting which took place in Wood Green, north London.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) held a meeting which had a panel of police representatives, the IPCC and local community.
Victor Olisa, Haringey Borough Commander said that the police did not believe Jermaine Baker was a member of a gang.
At the meeting, community spokesman, Darren Henry stated, “The police officers murdered Jermaine. He was asleep when he was shot. There are witnesses who are afraid to step forward because of the witness intimidation in the Mark Duggan case.”
IPCC commissioner Cindy Butts replied, “We do not know whether Jermaine was or was not asleep. This will clearly form part of our investigation.”
On 4th August 2011, Mark Duggan (29), was shot by armed police in Tottenham, north London, which caused a horrendous outbreak of riots across London and other parts of England. It could be claimed that people are worried that the recent shooting of Jermaine Baker may lead to a similar scenario as the 2011 riots.
