POOL PHOTO

Honolulu constabulary officers Geoffrey Thom, left, Christopher Fredaluces, and Zackary Ah Nee beryllium successful the territory courtroom of Judge William Domingo during a preliminary proceeding Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, successful Honolulu, to determine whether the officers should beryllium tried connected execution and attempted execution charges for a shooting that killed teen Iremamber Sykap and injured his brother. (Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP, Pool)

HONOLULU – A Hawaii justice connected Tuesday rejected execution and attempted execution charges against 3 Honolulu constabulary officers successful the fatal shooting of a teenager, preventing the lawsuit from going to trial.

District Court Judge William Domingo, successful a ruling from the bench, said determination was nary probable origin that the officers committed the crimes they were accused of.

He noted the teenager, 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap, led the officers connected a high-speed pursuit instantly earlier the April 5 shooting, refusing commands to stop. He said the incidental lone ended aft the Sykap was changeable and the car fell into a canal.

Honolulu prosecutors filed charges against the 3 officers aft a expansive assemblage declined to indict them. It’s the archetypal clip successful much than 40 years that a Honolulu constabulary serviceman has been charged successful a fatal shooting.

Officer Geoffrey Thom was charged with murder. Prosecutors said helium fired 10 rounds astatine Sykap done the rear model of the car aft it stopped astatine an intersection. Officers Zackary Ah Nee and Fredeluces, who besides opened fire, were charged with second-degree attempted murder.

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The shots were fired aft Sykap helium weaved successful and retired of postulation traveling up to 80 mph (130 kph) arsenic helium led constabulary connected a high-speed pursuit on highways and metropolis streets. His member was injured successful the shooting.

Police accidental the Honda was stolen and linked to an equipped robbery, burglary, purse-snatching and car theft successful the days prior.

Last period successful the drawn-out hearing, a constabulary grounds specializer testified that a pellet weapon that looked similar a firearm was recovered successful the car Sykap was driving. Police said they besides recovered 2 magazines, 1 with existent ammunition and 1 that was empty. But they did not find existent firearms successful the car.

Police besides testified that officers recovered a backpack respective blocks distant from the shooting that came from a fishy who fled the vehicle. The backpack contained an inoperable blank-firing revolver, which is akin to devices utilized arsenic movie props oregon astatine track-and-field events.

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Honolulu’s main aesculapian examiner testified that Sykap was deed by 8 shots, including 1 to the backmost of the caput and a fatal coiled successful the precocious back, which tore his aorta. The aesculapian examiner said toxicology results showed methamphetamine successful Sykap’s blood.

The lawsuit comes a twelvemonth aft nationwide protests implicit radical injustice and constabulary brutality successful different parts of the U.S. Some successful the Micronesian assemblage accidental Sykap’s shooting highlights the racism they look successful Hawaii.

Sykap was calved successful Guam, a U.S. territory, to parents who were from Chuuk successful the Federated States of Micronesia.

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