HONOLULU — Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton is condemning the Honolulu Police Department for the fatal shooting of a Black man as various versions of what led to the death continue to emerge.
HONOLULU — Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton is condemning the Honolulu Police Department for the fatal shooting of a Black man as various versions of what led to the death continue to emerge.
“Lindani Myeni’s killing is yet another sensational racialization and criminalization of an innocent unarmed black man at the hands of police not following the law and proper police procedures,” Sharpton said in a statement Thursday.
Interim Honolulu Police Chief Rade Vanic in response said the police department is committed to public service and that these “are challenging times for police departments everywhere.”
Sharpton weighed in on the April 14 shooting of Myeni after lawyers representing his widow in a wrongful death lawsuit made public this week a doorbell video showing the 29-year-old arriving at a house, taking off his shoes and quickly leaving after his presence confused the occupants. Myeni repeatedly apologized to the couple. Police responding to a 911 call shot him a short time later outside the house.
The lawsuit said he likely mistook the home for a temple next door that’s open to the public.
Myeni’s presence at the house wasn’t as innocuous as lawyers for Myeni’s wife portrayed, Scot Brower, an attorney representing the homeowner and the tourists who were staying in the house, said Friday.
Sabine and Dexter Wang, visiting Hawaii from New Jersey for more than a month, were “freaked out” when a stranger walked into the Honolulu home where they were staying and acted oddly, Brower said.
“He didn’t get no permission. He didn’t get any consent. He went in that house,” Brower said.
Myeni told Sabine Wong “something like I have I have video on you. You know why I’m here,” rummaged through the house and said he owned a cat there, Brower said.
