“This is very unusual and we are not aware of any similar action taken in the past. While we await the court’s decision, we will continue to protect and serve the community as we always have,” he said in a statement. .
Geoffrey HL Thom Age
Geoffrey HL Thom is 42 years old.
Charges – Arrested
One police officer was charged with murder and two officers were charged with attempted murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy, Honolulu prosecutors said Tuesday. The charges come after a grand jury last week refused to indict the same three officers in the shooting that killed Iremamber Sykap on April 5.
Geoffrey H.L. Thom was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Zackary K. Ah Nee and Christopher Fredeluces were each charged with one count of attempted murder in the second degree. Thom is a five-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department. Ah, Nee and Fredeluces have worked in the department for three and ten years, respectively.
All three officers face life in prison without parole if convicted. A man who answered the phone at a number listed for Thom said that he was not receiving calls. The listed numbers for Ah Nee and Fredeluces could not be found immediately.
Honolulu Police Department Acting Chief Rade Vanic said he was surprised by the prosecutor’s decision to pursue charges after a grand jury decided not to press charges.
“This is very unusual and we are not aware of any similar action taken in the past. While we await the court’s decision, we will continue to protect and serve the community as we always have,” he said in a statement. . The police powers of the officers will be removed and they will be assigned office duties.
Malcolm Lutu, president of the state police union, said in a statement: “We continue to trust the process and we will continue to support our officers.”
The family has filed a lawsuit
Matt Dvonch, special counsel for Honolulu prosecutor Steve Alm, said it is not unusual for prosecutors to ask a judge to find probable cause that a crime was likely committed after a grand jury has refused to indict. A person.
He said the prosecution was not bringing in any new evidence for the case that they did not have when the case went before the grand jury.
Eric Seitz, an attorney representing Sykap’s family in a civil lawsuit against the city and as yet unidentified police officers, said he was pleased that prosecutors were following the case.
“We have suspected from the beginning when we began to obtain information about how the events unfolded, that the shooting was totally unjustified,” he said. “Now that we have seen the additional evidence contained and attached to the charges, there is no question in our minds that this was an event that could and should have been avoided.”
The family’s lawsuit alleges neglect, battery, and battery. He asks a state court to award damages, reimburse costs, and declare that the officers’ use of deadly force was illegal and unauthorized.
Jacquie Esser, a deputy public defender for the state who is not involved in the case, said it is critical that police are held to account when they use excessive force and kill unarmed people or if they commit misconduct.
“This is a huge step towards accountability, which is critical to the community’s confidence in its police system,” she said.
The three officers were scheduled to appear in court on June 25.
Investigation Report
Police have said Sykap was driving a stolen Honda linked to armed robbery, burglary, wallet robbery, and auto theft and led officers on a chase before the shooting.
Assistant District Attorney Christopher Van Marter said in court documents that Thom fired 10 shots into the rear window of the Honda “without provocation.” Eight of the shots hit Sykap, hitting him in the back of the head, neck, upper back, and left arm. Skip was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.
Fredeluces fired a shot but missed Sykap, he said. Van Marter said that while Thom claimed the Honda collided with his cruiser, the body camera footage did not show that. Thom’s patrol car suffered “some small paint chips and some black marks,” Van Marter said.
He said Ah Nee shot several times at Mark Sykap, Iremamber’s brother who was also in the car. Mark Sykap suffered gunshot wounds to the right shoulder and right hand. Police have refused to release the body camera footage of the officer from the shooting.