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- Lawyer Bridget Morgan-Bickerton says doorbell video footage sheds new light on the Lindani Myeni shooting in Hawaii.
- Police shot the South African former rugby player dead in April.
- Myenu's widow Lindsay had filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging police were motivated by racial discrimination.
New unedited doorbell video footage has emerged in the investigation into the death of former South African rugby player, Lindani Myeni, in Hawaii in April.
Myeni's family's lawyer, Bridget Morgan-Bickerton, said the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) received and reviewed the Ring Video Doorbell recordings of the night Myeni was killed.
"They show a very different story from the one [the] HPD has disseminated to the public. [The] HPD fought the release of these recordings and even tried to block Myeni's widow, Lindsay, from subpoenaing the videos directly from the owner of 91 Coelho Way [where the shooting occurred].
"HPD has tried to convince the public that this was a burglary and that Myeni was acting erratically, but the doorbell video we have now obtained from the owner shows that HPD knew all along these stories were untrue."
READ | KZN rugby community, friends in disbelief after 'gentle' South African man killed by US police
Honolulu police shot Myeni dead and claimed that they were responding to a 911 burglary call. Police bodycam footage showed Myeni attacking officers. But Myeni's wife Lindsay alleged in a wrongful death lawsuit that police were motivated by racial discrimination against an unarmed black man.
According to Morgan-Bickerton, the footage confirms that Myeni believed he was visiting a temple in the area.
The new evidence video clearly shows that Lindani Myeni intended to go to the IKCSON Temple but he was at the wrong address next door. It’s a reasonable mistake in the dark. He removed his shoes and wore his ceremonial headdress. he was polite. The 911 caller Sabine Wang lied. pic.twitter.com/BJK2oRDKwu
— Justice for Lindani Myeni (@Justice4Lindani) June 15, 2021
"The owner confirmed that on more than one occasion in the past, visitors have mistaken his property for the temple..."
The doorbell video shows a couple walking into the building, followed by Myeni wearing his traditional ceremonial Zulu headband that he would wear to visit a spiritual place like a church or temple. You hear his voice faintly as he introduces himself.
"We have just received the full, unredacted body cam footage for the time following the shooting and are still processing it. However, we are fortunate to have the recordings linked here. Now, with modern recording technology, doorbell videos and body cams, the public can see what has been going, and we can all hope that this technology will help bring such police conduct to an end."
The bodycam footage also confirms clear audio that police did not announce themselves until after Myeni had been shot multiple times.
Morgan-Bickerton added that, for too many years, similar events happened in Hawaii and around the country, but there was nothing to challenge the officers' versions.
The United States embassy in Pretoria says it is monitoring the investigation.
