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IremamberSykap

Gender : Male

Age : 16

Race : Native Pacific Islander

Date : 04/05/2021

Location : Kalākaua Avenue (in the McCully/Kaka‘ako area)

City : Honolulu

County : Honolulu

State : Hawaii

Agency : Honolulu Police Department

Officer(s) :Geoffrey Thom, Zackary Ah Nee, Christopher Fredeluces

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after pursuit

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On April 5, 2021, the Honolulu Police Department located a white Honda Civic reported stolen from Kailua and linked to a series of crimes, including a purse snatching and armed robbery, during a high-speed chase in Honolulu. Iremamber Sykap, age 16, was driving the stolen vehicle when officers engaged after the pursuit ended on Kalākaua Avenue. Officer Geoffrey Thom fired ten rounds into the rear window of the vehicle; two other officers also discharged their weapons. Medical records show Sykap was shot in the back of the head and shoulders. Despite being inside a stopped car, the shooting terminated his life. The department initially withheld body-camera footage, citing an investigation. Charges were filed against Thom (second-degree murder) and the two other officers (attempted murder) but were dismissed in August 2021. The case prompted significant public outcry within the Micronesian community in Hawai‘i and a broader debate about use-of-force and racial profiling.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Iremamber_Sykap
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/04/06/teen-driver-shot-killed-by-police-after-chase-honolulu/
https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/04/honolulu-police-officers-shot-teenage-driver-after-chase-bodycam-shows/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/06/04/medical-records-show-police-shot-16-year-old-iremamber-sykap-in-back-of-head/