Dozens of Honolulu police officers turned out at a recent city council meeting to block a proposed $1.5 million payment to the widow of a “Zulu prince” who was shot to death by a police officer.
Lindani Myeni, a member of the Zulu tribe and descendant of Zulu royalty, was shot dead on April 14, 2021 following a struggle with police officers outside a vacation rental in the city’s Nuuanu neighborhood, which he was charged with enter without permission. .
The 29-year-old man’s widow, Lindsay, later filed a wrongful death lawsuit, arguing that police failed to identify themselves when they pointed a gun at Lindani and began shooting him that night.
Corporate attorneys for the city and county of Honolulu have since reached a costly settlement with Lindsay.
But prosecutors, police advocates and even the mayor spoke out against approving the deal at an Oct. 9 meeting, arguing that it should go to trial instead. according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.
Honolulu police officers showed up en masse at a city council hearing on Oct. 9 to voice their opposition to a deal with the widow of Zulu prince Lindani Myeni.
Lindani Myeni, 29, was shot dead on April 14, 2021 after a struggle with police officers outside a vacation rental in the city’s Nuuanu neighborhood, which he was accused of entering without permission.
They were supported by police officers who turned out en masse at the hearing, which the Myeni family’s lawyer, James Bickerton, sharply criticised.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he told Civil Beat.
“It is literally a show of force. It has no place in a democracy. If you want to come testify in a civil matter, leave your weapons at the police station.
Opponents of the deal claim Myeni became violent as soon as officers arrived at the scene after receiving a call claiming he followed a woman home, took off his shoes and exhibited “bizarre behavior.”
Police Chief Joe Logan testified at the hearing that only 15 seconds passed from the time the officers arrived to the time they were attacked.
“That’s not enough time for the CIT (Crisis Intervention Team), you know, to de-escalate,” he said. “CIT in this matter would not have helped and that is why, I firmly believe, it stands behind our officers, their actions and what they did.”
Myeni’s widow, Lindsay, later filed a wrongful death lawsuit, arguing that police failed to identify themselves when they pointed a gun at her and started shooting at her that night.
Poorly lit body camera footage of the shooting showed an officer telling Myeni, “Get on the ground now.”
As Myeni walked towards the police officer, a struggle ensued and the officer filming the altercation appeared to fall to the ground.
A second clip from a third officer’s body camera showed Myeni struggling with the other two officers.
That third officer then deployed his Taser before firing. Then three more follow.
Towards the end of the video, an officer yells “police.”
Myeni was later taken to Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition, where he died from his injuries.
One police officer was also hospitalized with serious facial injuries and a concussion after the incident, while the other two involved in the altercation also suffered injuries.
Two of the officers involved in the shooting, Brent Sylvester and Garrick Orosco, were acquitted of crimes in June by local prosecutors, who declined to file charges against them.
Prosecutor Steven Alm is now among those urging city council members not to approve the deal.
He argued that Myeni was the aggressor and officers tried less lethal methods, including the use of a Taser, to subdue him.
Honolulu Police Body Camera Footage Shows Three Shots Shot Before Officer Says ‘Police’
Myeni also punched one of the police officers, causing multiple facial fractures, which prevented the police officer from still being able to work.
Alm also noted that Myeni, a former rugby player, suffered from stage three chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disorder often seen in people who have suffered repeated concussions or head trauma.
It can cause confusion, mood swings and aggression, he noted.
He went on to argue that the city would prevail in a civil trial because jurors would have to be convinced that the police acted inappropriately.
Jonathan Frye, president of the Honolulu chapter of the state police union, also argued that if the city approves the deal, it would send a message to police officers that the city does not support them.
“If we come to an agreement on this, we will send a message to all officers that they really don’t matter, their lives don’t matter,” he argued.
“I would rather this case be lost in court.”
Even the local mayor spoke out against the deal, saying: ‘I strongly and unequivocally support the police department on this.
“I have been briefed extensively in several meetings about the evidence in the case, and I took that side and want to make sure my voice is present regarding my position and position.”
Lindsay spoke in support of the agreement, while surrounded by officers, saying that her husband, who was originally from South Africa and moved with her back to their home state, was a community leader.
But in a wrongful death lawsuit Lindsay filed that same year, attorneys argue that the officers did not tell Myeni they were police officers when they approached him.
They also shined high-intensity flashlights, called Maglites, in his face, blinding him, Civil Beat reports.
Myeni then failed to see the officers approaching her and was only trying to defend herself from unknown assailants.
‘Mister. Myeni had the right to defend herself,” attorney James Bickerton testified at the town hall hearing. “The situation escalated violently and quickly, but there was no need or reason to kill someone unarmed.”
Bickerton said he initially sought more than $5 million in damages for his client, but that he and the city worked with a mediator to reach an agreement.
The settlement, he argued, would provide closure for his client’s family and help Myeni’s family, now ages three and five.
“This buys peace, not only for the Myeni family, but also for the officers themselves,” he told municipal council members.
Myeni left behind two children, now aged three and five, who her family lawyer said will benefit from the settlement payment.
He stated that Myeni’s widow “wants, above all, healing and peace for all.”
“I can tell you that is a very high priority for her, not just for her and her family, but for the city, for the officers, for the entire community,” he said. according to Hawaii News Now.
“The eyes of the world were on this case and still are.”
Lindsay also spoke in support of the agreement, while surrounded by officers, saying that her husband, who was originally from South Africa and moved with her to her home state, was a community leader who spoke five languages and studied engineering.
She held up her bullet-riddled clothing from the night of the shooting as she told the officers behind her that Myeni once aspired to become a police officer.
“He was almost one of you,” he said.
“I wish they had talked to him like a human and not exterminated him.”
Ultimately, the city council decided to postpone the vote on approving the deal, with some expressing confusion over what they saw as a lack of communication between the city attorney, who negotiated the deal, and the prosecutor’s office.
Most details of the case were discussed in closed-door meetings at the Executive Affairs and Legal Affairs committee meetings, but no one from the prosecution presented the committee or shared their findings from a 2021 report.
Council members said they need more time to review the evidence and ask more questions of the Honolulu District Attorney’s Office in a closed-door session.
The matter will be taken up again at the next council meeting in November.
If the settlement is not approved, the case will go to civil trial next year.