Shortly after new Honolulu Prosecutor Steven Alm promised tougher and more independent investigations of police shootings, he’s faced with two of the most problematic fatal shootings in recent times.
The results so far are murder and attempted murder charges against three officers involved in the shooting of a 16-year-old Micronesian boy in Waikiki and hard questions about the shooting of a South African man in Nuuanu in a burglary call that possibly was a tragic misunderstanding.
As we work through this as a community, we should acknowledge that our police force is basically honest, capable and deserving of our trust.
But also that when things go wrong, especially in matters of life and death, open and unsparing investigation is essential for accountability and better future outcomes.
In the shooting of Iremamber Sykap, a suspect in several crimes who led police on a long high-speed chase until they cornered him in Waikiki, Alm filed charges against officers himself after failing to persuade a grand jury to indict them.
If Alm couldn’t convince the grand jury to indict when only the prosecutor presented evidence, he’ll find it more daunting to get a conviction from a criminal jury that will hear robust defense arguments as well as his own.
But Alm is as sober as the former judge he is and not a bomb-thrower; if this police union endorsee was troubled enough to take such extraordinary action, we should hear his case.
More than a dozen rounds were fired into that car, mostly from the rear, after it was stopped and immediate threats appeared neutralized.
Whether or not criminal convictions ultimately prove warranted, this taking of life must be answered for.
In Nuuanu, 29-year-old Lindani Myeni was shot to death after fighting with police responding to a burglary call.
From information police initially released, it seemed a simple case of don’t attack police officers if you don’t want to get shot. But as more details emerged, it became far more complicated.
From body-cam and doorbell video, it appears Myeni might have thought he was entering a religious temple in a similar structure nearby where the public is welcome.
He stayed in the vacation rental home only a short time, took nothing and threatened nobody. He repeatedly apologized to the occupants as he left.
But directed by the near-hysterical 911 caller, arriving officers charged Myeni with guns drawn, flashlights in his face and angry commands. From the tapes, they failed to announce they were police as he fought back, even after he asked, “Who are you?”
To their credit, officers being badly beaten tried to no avail to stop Myeni with a Taser and a single nonlethal round before firing the fatal shots.
Criminal charges seem less likely in this case, but it appears the fatal encounter might have been averted if officers had clearly identified themselves.
The city could pay dearly in civil court for such a tragic breach of procedure.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
