CrimeStoppers offers a reward of up to $1, 000 if a tip leads to an arrest. Chris Kim, coordinator of CrimeStoppers Honolulu, said anonymous tips can be shared by phone at 955-8300 or via the P-3 app or website. HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said there were no new updates on the case. Lisa Maumalanga, AFY's director of operations and special programs, said they were together 24 /7, but "it still wasn't enough time." The Maumalangas worked together at AFY for about 11 years and married in 2017. But at the same time, I don't want that to be the focus." "I think it will definitely give us a sense of justice and a sense of peace knowing that the killers are caught. "The way that he went is causing a lot of people to feel other things, but I hope that they'll remember those because that's who he was, " she said. Maumalanga's wife and co-worker, Lisa Maumalanga, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sunday that she hoped "his legacy will be about peace, empathy, acceptance, respect and love." Despite his violent death, friends and family hope that the strongest memories associated with him will continue to be the peace that he brought to Hawaii's troubled youth for over 20 years. in an established, multigenerational neighborhood, where street signs remind drivers to slow down because it's a place where children play.īut three weeks into his loss, Maumalanga's friends and family are more focused on how he lived than how he died. The crime, which has been classified as a second-degree murder, occurred around 9 :45 p.m. "In my experience-especially of late-'cultural sensitivity' is an unknown concept to HPD.Maumalanga, 45, died March 27 after he was shot at his Aiea residence. They are hopeful that the case will be prosecuted fairly, objectively, and successfully, " Seitz said. "The family was encouraged that criminal charges were filed and that someone appears to take seriously the facts that their brother, son and grandson was shot repeatedly and killed without simply blaming the victim or dismissing the events because they involved 'a bad person'-as others have done. Seitz, who represents Sykap's grandmother and mother in a civil suit against the city, HPD and the officers who shot at Sykap, said despite the criminal charges against the officers and repeated requests, the city has yet to schedule a deposition of the medical examiner or turn over police reports, videos, tapes of 911 calls or radio transmissions, or ballistics reports. HPD's 2019 use-of-force report revealed that Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders-who make up 25 % of Oahu's population-were the subject in more than a third of the incidents involving police use of force in 2019.Īttorney Eric A. Vanic has met with the FSM's mission in Hawaii and two other community advocacy groups to promote recruiting, engagement activities and establish cultural sensitivity training. Vanic did not reply to a request for comment on the ambassador's observations. I say the Micronesian experience in Hawaii is unfortunate because the problems seem to be confined to the State of Hawaii and to some similar degree, the US Territory of Guam. We should all be concerned as members of the community. "So obviously, the Micronesian community is no exception in feeling concerned about the fatal shooting of an unarmed citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia. "Anytime a person's precious life is taken by law enforcement authorities, the community as a whole should be concerned, " Susaia told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He is cautiously optimistic that justice will be served following murder and attempted murder charges against the three officers who fired into the stolen vehicle Sykap was driving following a high-speed chase from East Honolulu to Kalakaua Avenue on April 5. Susaia said recent meetings with HPD, and the department's commitment to cultural sensitivity training beginning with August's metropolitan police recruit class, are steps in the right direction, but a lot of work remains. 23-The ambassador of the Federated States of Micronesia to the United States hopes recent conversations with the Honolulu Police Department following the shooting death of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap lead to fewer violent confrontations with officers and a deeper understanding of his people's unique culture.Īmbassador Akillino H.
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