Jermaine Baker (28) a black man and father of two children, was shot dead by a Metropolitan Police officer during an attempt to free an inmate from police custody on December 11, 2015. An inquisition into his death has concluded, that it was a lawful killing. However, an inquiry of the public, identified it as a “catalog of failures” in the planning and execution of the police operation to quash the attempt.

Jermaine Baker was shot by an officer of counter-terrorism specialist firearms

Baker was shot by an officer of counter-terrorism specialist firearms and it is referred to as W80. The officer had told the inquiry that Baker had been reaching for a firearm and it is his genuine belief. In addition, the officer said that he perceived Baker’s actions and movement as a deadly threat such that W80, and on the basis of the hypothesis he draw the conclusion Baker must be shot dead.

The public investigation claimed it was a catalog of failures in the planning and execution of the police operation. From the probe, it was learned that officers had intelligence and the group was unable to rescue a real gun. But unfortunately, they did not pass the information to the firearms team and they confronted the men.

Today its final report has been published, and Clement Goldstone QC the inquiry head informed that there had been failures to properly document the planning of the operation and in the communication of intelligence between officers. The inquiry found the reports were wrongly labeled with a different operational name, and also added it has been unnoticed by them.

The chair of the inquiry considered this as a “casual approach” to formality and was a hallmark of much of the operation. He further said it should serve as a loud wake-up call to the newly appointed commissioner. However, the bitter truth is that only the tragic death of Mr. Baker has been brought to the public eye that the extent of the ‘catalog of failings’ in the preparation of the MPS operation, in the conduct of which he was killed and despite numerous failures, he concluded that the killing had been lawful.