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Prosecutor: Honolulu police killing of Black man justified

HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu police officers’ use of deadly force was justified and no charges will be filed against them in a shooting that killed a Black man because an investigation found that he entered a home uninvited and physically attacked the officers, the city’s prosecuting attorney said Wednesday.

The April 14 shooting death of Lindani Myeni, 29, has drawn international attention, including from civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton, at a time when police violence in other parts of the U.S. have prompted protests over racial injustice.

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said his office’s investigation refutes those who said the shooting shows that despite Hawaii’s multicultural diversity, police are racist.

ìIn some communities you do have the police are of one race, generally, and the people they are policing are of another race. And we don’t have that in Hawaii … police officers live among us,î he said.

While the Honolulu Police Department could be more diverse, ìwe didn’t find any evidence that race played a role in this case,î he said.

Two days before the shooting, Myeni told his kickboxing instructor that he was going through ìcrazy African spiritual stuff,î Alm said.

Myeni was a South Africa national who had recently moved to Honolulu.

About 30 minutes before the shooting, Myeni interjected himself in a situation where police were investigating a vehicle break-in and had to be told to go away by both the victim and officers, Alm said.

Attorney Bridget Morgan-Bickerton, who represents Myeni’s wife, said Alm’s investigation was flawed in various ways, including not interviewing any of the officers. Alm said his office relied on police statements.

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