The widow of a former South African rugby star shot and killed by Honolulu police in 2021 will have to wait at least another month for the city council to vote on a $1.5 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit that her attorneys had negotiated with the city’s legal counsel.
After strong opposition expressed by the police chief and more than 40 uniformed police officers who showed up at the Honolulu City Council meeting on Wednesday, the council decided to delay the vote until November so it can review more evidence in the case.
In April of 2021, three police officers responded to a 911 call reporting a break-in at an Airbnb home and confronted the suspect, Lindani Myeni, 29, in the driveway.
According to the complaint filed by his widow, Lindsay Myeni, the officers failed to identify themselves, blinded him with high-intensity flashlights, pointed a firearm at him and ordered him to get on the ground.
After Myeni, who was unarmed, asked, “Who are you?” he began to fight with one officer, Cpl. Garrick Orosco, beating him in the face , and was tased by another, Officer Noli Galicha. He then rushed Galicha, and tussled with a third officer, Brent Sylvester.