Thousands oppose $1.5M proposed settlement of HPD deadly shooting lawsuit

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Nearly 2,300 Hawaii residents do not want the city to pay $1.5 million to settle a deadly HPD shooting lawsuit.
They’ve signed an online petition supporting officers who shot and killed Rugby star Lindani Myeni in 2021.
Officers confronted the 25-year-old after calls of burglary when Myeni entered a home in Nuuanu and began acting erratically.
Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm declined to prosecute the officers, saying the shooting was justified.
Michael Kitchens, the creator of the Facebook group Stolen Stuff Hawaii, started the petition and submitted it to the city council ahead of their vote Thursday to approve or deny the settlement.
“We believe that the morale and the welfare of the Honolulu Police Department will be severely affected by this when an officer does their job correctly, we shouldn’t penalize them because that will actually affect their actions in the future,” Michael Kitchens said.
An autopsy on Myeni showed he was suffering from the degenerative brain disease known as CTE.
His wife and attorney say the officers did not identify themselves, and Myeni was justified to defend himself when they approached with guns drawn.
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