Hawaii judge rejects the continuation of unjustified death in the shooting of an unarmed black man
Honolulu – A judge on Tuesday rejected an unjustified death trial brought by the widow of an unarmed black man fired by the Honolulu police in 2021.
The murder of Lindani Myeni, April 14, 2021, drew international attention, including the civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton.
Myeni, 29, was a South African national who had recently moved to Hawaii, where his wife grew up.
The authorities said that Myeni was strangely acting and entered a house without invitation, and a frightened tourist staying there called 911. Myeni hit responding officers, leaving one with facial fractures and a concussion, said Honolulu’s lawyer Steve Alm.
Police tried other deterrent methods, notably in deployment of a paralyzing pistol which was not effective on Myeni, before an officer fired three shots, said Alm, noting that the use of the officers was justified. Myeni continued to strike an officer even after being killed once in the chest, said Alm.
Honolulu lawyers recommended paying $ 1.5 million to settle the trial last year, but it was never voted before the full municipal council and the case was tried.
The trial began on July 14 and the testimony included the widow of Myeni, Lindsay Myeni, taking a stand, according to his lawyers. The applicants rested their case on Friday.
The city has filed a request in dismissal on the same day, arguing that no evidence had been presented showing that the officers acted with wickedness and are immune to responsibility.
Judge Karin Holma granted the request on Tuesday, according to the judicial archives.
His decision came after seven days of testimonies, including a video of the incident showing an officer “hiding behind a flashlight and refusing to say that he was a police officer,” according to a statement by lawyers representing the widow of Myeni.
“While we wish that the jury could have decided this, at least the court of appeal can now revise the file,” lawyer James Bickerton said in the press release.
A trial would also have been possible in the case because three jurors were sick by Covid, said another lawyer from Myeni, Bridget Morgan-Bickerton.
According to an addendum of the Myeni autopsy report, which was obtained by the Associated Press in 2023, Myeni was a former professional rugby player who suffered from a degenerative brain disease often found in football players and other athletes subjected to a repeated cranial trauma.
The brain fabric was sent to the Boston University Cte Center, who found that Myeni suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy of stadium three. Commonly called CTE, the disease can only be diagnosed with posthumous.
