It’s not even clear why officers opened fire. HPD hasn’t said where on his body Sykap was shot or how many bullets hit him. Nearly two weeks later, many key details remain unknown, and no charges have been filed against the other occupants of the car. “During this time, officers fired multiple shots at the vehicle,” she said at the televised press conference. Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard told reporters hours later that it appeared the vehicle had rammed two marked police cars before driving through a chainlink fence and crashing into the Kalakaua canal. Balloons and flowers decorate a site by Kalakaua Canal where Iremamber Sykap, whose nickname was Baby, was killed in a police shooting on April 5. In the absence of more details, Sykap’s death and subsequent media coverage ignited an outpouring of grief among many in Hawaii’s Micronesian community, with some questioning why death was the consequence for his alleged crimes.Īccording to the Honolulu Police Department, Sykap was driving the car, which had been reported stolen from Kailua and had been linked to a series of crimes including another car theft in Kaimuki, a purse snatching in Waikiki and an armed robbery in Moiliili just 20 minutes before the shooting. ![]() “I just wish it was me, that they had killed me instead.” “I just wish I could’ve saved him,” said Middleton. Middleton had known Sykap since he was 4 years old and they were neighbors in Kalihi. ![]() The night before, they had hung out at Old Stadium Park off King Street. It was only later that Middleton learned that his 16-year-old friend, Iremamber Sykap, had been killed in the police shooting. Honolulu police officers were shooting at a stolen white Honda Accord filled with six suspects aged 14 to 22. The judge hears boths sides and, in the officers' case, will determine whether to dismiss the felony charges or commit the case to Circuit Court for a jury trial.Sean Middleton was sitting in his car at a stoplight on Kalakaua Avenue on April 5 when he heard gunfire. The hearing continues next week.Ī preliminary hearing is held before a judge who will determine whether there is probable cause. ![]() The first day of the officers' preliminary hearing was held Tuesday at Honolulu District Court. Zackary Ah Nee, 26, and Christopher Fredeluces, 40, were charged with second-degree attempted murder. Geoffrey Thom, 42, who was charged with second-degree murder, allegedly discharged 10 shots through the window as the car was stationary, hitting the teen eight times. Sykap was in the driver's seat at the time. On April 5, police fired multiple gunshots into a stolen car at the intersection of Kalakaua Avenue and Philip Street that was allegedly involved in a two-day crime spree. In a separate case, prosecutors charged a Honolulu police officer with murder and two officers with attempted murder in June in connection with the death of Sykap's brother, Iremamber Sykap, after a grand jury declined to indict them. Second-degree assault is considered a Class C felony that is punishable by up to five years in prison. In the assault case, the woman was treated and released at a hospital for a non-life-threatening stab wound to her upper body.įirst-degree robbery is considered a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, if convicted. Iremamber Sykap was in the driver's seat of a stolen car linked to an alleged crime spree at the time. A makeshift memorial was created at the intersection for his younger brother who was fatally shot by police on April 5. Sykap was also indicted for second-degree assault in an April 24 case where he allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old woman at the intersection of Kalakaua Avenue and Philip Street. He allegedly used a dangerous instrument to rob a man of his valuables. Maruo Sykap, 21, appeared at his arraignment at Circuit Court today via video conferencing from the Oahu Community Correctional Center after an Oahu grand jury returned an indictment against him in April, charging Sykap with first-degree robbery in connection with an April 22 case at Old Stadium Park in Moiliili. ![]() 23-A circuit judge scheduled a jury trial to be held in September for the older brother of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap who was indicted on felony robbery and assault charges in two separate cases.
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