Iremamber Sykap
On April 5, 2021, 16-year-old Ireamber Sykap was shot and killed by police in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was in a car that was being chased by the police. Police said the car was trying to get away from the chase, violating traffic rules. There were several teenagers from 14 to 22 years old in the car.
The chase ended with the police shooting the car 5 times, killing Sykap. Two of the other passengers were injured of varying degrees of severity due to the crash that followed after the shots. Police said some of those present in the car have a history of arrests. The passengers were unarmed.
The case is being investigated by the police. Three officers associated with the incident were sent on administrative leave. The family of the deceased wants to achieve a fair sentence for the shooters.
In June 2021, three policemen involved in the death of a teenager appeared in court, which was the first such case against law enforcement agencies in the city in more than 40 years. The officer who shot Sikap was charged with second-degree murder. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 20, 2021.
MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE CASE:
Honolulu police said five other people who were in the car were taken into custody following the shooting in McCully about 5 p.m. One other person sustained serious injuries in the incident, while a third had non-life-threatening injuries consistent with a car crash.
“He was the baby of the family. They shot him five times like he’s a criminal or something… If you ever have a son, he’s all of the above. Do you have kids? How do you look at your kids? That’s how he is in our eyes. And that’s how he is and should be in everybody else’s eyes. And that’s how he should be in everybody else’s eyes,” said brother Maruo Sykap.
CASE STATUS:
The FBI initiative group requested clarifications on the current case from US President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland. The initiative group considers it important to fight injustice in the judicial system and, if necessary, can provide legal and information assistance to the Sikap family.
