On April 14th Lindani Myeni, 29, was fatally shot in a confrontation with Honolulu Police that left an officer hospitalized with injuries to his face and a concussion. Myeni’s family is pressing a wrongful death suit against the city of Honolulu and the liberal left-wing media are shamefully using his death to forward their narrative.
All the left and mainstream media can seem to say about Mr. Myeni’s attack on Police officers and subsequent death is to lament the “Lack of mass protests”, at least thats what Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Mogomotsi Magome wrote for the Associated Press. They proceeded from the disturbing premise,
“To some, Lindani Myeni’s death and the muted reaction from residents, is a reminder that Hawaii isn’t the racially harmonious paradise it’s held up to be.”
That’s right, a man has tragically died because he chose to attack police officers and the best the liberal, leftist media can do is use his death to insult the people of America in general and of Hawaii in particular.
The Incident Is More Complicated
The narrative isn’t as simple as the race-baiting media would like to portray. Police reports indicate that Myeni entered someone else’s home, removed his shoes, and sat down until discovered by the resident who was understandably alarmed at the intruder. The unidentified woman then called 911 in a panicked state. Honolulu Police responded to the home encountering Myeni near the driveway.
According to The Daily Mail,
“Police said Myeni, who lived down the road from the property, followed the woman into the home, took off his shoes and exhibited ‘odd’ behavior.
Myeni then allegedly ‘charged’ at and assaulted the three cops who arrived on the scene with the police chief saying their ‘lives were in jeopardy’, before they fired four shots at him.”
“One cop was hospitalized with major facial injuries and concussion following the incident while the other two also sustained injuries.”
911 dispatch audio revealed, that the eyewitness account of the resident contradicts the Myeni family’s assertions that Lindani was killed due to his race. She is heard to say “The officer shot him. He’s attacking the cop,”
The Myeni family are alleging that Lindani’s death was wrongful primarily because police failed to audibly identify themselves, and they further assigned a racial narrative: that Police saw Meyeni as a threat only because he was a black man.
Reality Doesn’t Match The Liberal Leftist, Racial Narrative
Acting Deputy Chief Allan Nagata recognized that while the officers didn’t identify themselves as police immediately, they nonetheless acted properly and with restraint. Nagata said,
“They were in the fight for their lives. They were very brave. They didn’t shoot or discharge the firearm right away. This was not a case of overreaction.”
“They didn’t identify themselves, but hey, let’s be honest. They’re in uniform, right? They’re coming there with the police cars. Although it is dark, it’s pretty clear.”
Police Chief Susan Ballard said at the time that officers reacted to Myeni’s behavior, not his race.
“This person seriously injured the officers and their lives were in jeopardy,” she said.
Chief Ballard, shortly afterward announced she will be stepping down as of June 1st after a negative review from the Police commission followed the incident.
Ballard said in a statement,
“It has become increasingly clear that I no longer have the trust and support of the police commission and the new mayoral administration,” she said in a video message. “This, along with a rampant rumor campaign, has made it next to impossible for me to lead the department effectively.”
Ballard’s career would appear to be merely the first loss to follow these tragic events. If the media and leftists in Honolulu hold their present course, the island paradise could quickly become another Pacific nightmare, like Portland but with nicer weather.
