Honolulu’s city council on Wednesday authorized $1 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of a 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed by police.
The fatal shooting of Iremamber Sykap in 2021 came amid a national reckoning over police use of force, but the case also highlighted racism toward Micronesians in Hawaiʻi.
If the lawsuit Sykap's family filed against the city and police officers had gone to trial, they would have sought $8 million to $10 million in general damages, their attorney Eric Seitz said.
“Shooting a kid in the back of the head eight times when he wasn't armed, he didn't pose any threat to the police officers, is very likely to have really upset a lot of jurors,” he said.
The family accepted far less because of the “undercurrent of racism” in the case, Seitz said.
“If you look at the social media posts about this, there are lots of things talking about ‘dirty Micronesians’ and ‘they got what they deserved' ... which you know, is very concerning in our community," he said. “But it’s there. It’s a real factor.”
Sykap’s family is from Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia, but he was born in Guam, a U.S. territory.
Honolulu Corporation Counsel Dana Viola told the council that the settlement is reasonable because it keeps the officers from testifying, which could be used against them in a future criminal prosecution, because there's no statute of limitations for murder.
Interim police Chief Rade Vanic said the department supports the settlement.
“Our officers have served this community with professionalism and courage, and they deserve the full protection of their rights,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement. "This settlement allows the City to move forward while standing firmly in support of the men and women of the Honolulu Police Department.”
At the time of the shooting, police said Sykap was driving a stolen Honda linked to a burglary, purse snatching, car theft and armed robbery and led officers on a chase.
