Woman Who Called 911 On Lindani Myeni apos;feared He Would Hurt Her apos;

The woman whose 911 call led to the fatal police shooting of Idol contestant and Zulu 'prince' Lindani Myeni has claimed she reported him because she feared he was going to attack her when he entered the Airbnb she was renting with her husband in .  
Myeni, a married black father-of-two from the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa, was unarmed when he was shot and killed by Honolulu Police officers on April 14 in the city's Nuuanu neighborhood. Police said he violently resisted arrest when they responded to reports of an intruder. 
An attorney for the woman who made the 911 call - Shiying 'Sabine' Wang - shared her side of the story with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Friday after he filed a complaint with the on behalf of Sabine and her husband Da Ju 'Dexter' Wang. 
The attorney, Scot S. Brower, alleged that Myeni, who was said to have mistaken the home for a temple next door, had followed the Wangs in their car that night and ran up behind them while recording video of them on his phone as they entered the Airbnb.  
Bowser said Sabine dialed 911 because she believed Myeni was at their residence to attack them amid a string of anti-Asian hate crimes plaguing the nation.  
Shiying 'Sabine' Wang is seen calling 911 moments before police shot dead Lindani Myeni outside her Honolulu home on April 14. Sabine claims she made the call because she believed Myeni was going to attack her and her husband after he mistook their home for his Airbnb
Shiying and her husband (pictured) alleged that Myeni had been following and filming them before entering their residence for over six minutes
Police said Myeni (pictured) was staying down the road from the property, followed Sabine into her home, and exhibited 'odd' behavior before 'charging' at cops who arrived on the scene
According to Brower, footage released earlier this week by the an attorney for Myeni's family - which showed him repeatedly apologizing to the Wangs after entering the home - only captured part of the incident, excluding the nearly six minutes when he was inside. 
During that time Brower said Myeni rummaged through two bedrooms and told the couple that he owned the home as well as the 10-year-old cat that lives there.
'This Myeni had said to Sabine when he first arrived that "I have video on you, you know why I am here,"' Brower said. 
'They never recognized him before. He followed them to the house, and at some point Sabine turned around, he ducked in and tried to make it look like he was taking off his shoes. It is clear that when he ducked down it was evasive, and that's how my client Sabine recognized it. 
'He didn't come into the house with any consent; he didn't come into the house with any permission. In the house he claimed he lived there, he claimed he owned the cat. The owner of the house owns the cat and has for 10 years. He walked down the hallways alone and was heard rummaging in the back rooms. My clients are very traumatized by this thing. Obviously, this is something that most human beings don't experience in their entire lifetime.'
Brower claimed that Myeni never conveyed to the couple that he was looking for the nearby ISKCON temple, a lodging adjacent to the Honolulu residence that the Wangs were renting.
'At no time during the entire encounter did he mention the temple. This charade that he was going to a temple is mistaken. A reasonable person that was lost or looking for something would have mentioned it,' he said. 
Brower asserted that the Wangs had reason to fear for their lives as the US has seen a surge in hate crimes against Asians and Asian-Americans in recent months.
According to Brower, footage released earlier this week by the an attorney for Myeni's family - which showed him repeatedly apologizing to the Wangs after entering the home - only captured part of the incident, excluding the nearly six minutes when he was inside 
Sabine's attorney said she believed Myeni was there to commit an Anti-Asian hate crime amidst growing assault rates on Asians and Asian-Americans across the US
Last month, reported that a homeless man attacked a female Asian police officer in San Francisco, while an elderly Asian woman was sucker-punched in Queens, New York, leaving her with a fractured eye socket and broken nose and two black eyes.
In NYC alone, anti-Asian hate crimes have noticeably spiked, with 86 reports this year compared to just 19 the same time last year in 2020.
Reaction to Myeni's death has prompted the likes of Al Sharpton to condemn the Honolulu Police Department for the fatal shooting. 
The doorbell camera footage released by Myeni's family attorney, James J. Bickerton, earlier this week showed him repeatedly apologizing to the couple who were staying there before police arrived and shot him dead.  
It shows Myeni, 29, following the couple toward the porch of the home, taking off his shoes and entering the property after them. He appears to be calm.
He then quickly leaves after his presence appears to have confused the Airbnb occupants, repeatedly saying 'sorry'.
Seconds later, Shiying runs out and points Myeni out to police officers, who are responding to a 911 call about Myeni entering the property. Police bodycam footage previously released shows what happened next.
It shows Myeni ignoring commands to get on the ground outside the house he entered, a stun gun fired by police either malfunctioning or having no effect on Myeni. 
It also shows that an officer fired several gunshots at the black man before identifying themselves as 'Police!' 
Myeni was taken to hospital where he died. The exact time lapse between Myeni arriving at the Airbnb and the fatal shooting is not clear.
The footage released Tuesday has some lapses in time and is edited, merging parts of the doorcam, 911 call and bodycam.  
Police had previously released short clips of body camera footage and the 911 call made by Shiying - but made no mention of the doorcam footage. 
The family attorney claimed Honolulu Police reviewed the doorcam footage on the night Myeni was shot dead and went to court to block its release. 
Bickerton said Myeni mistook the home for the ISKCON Hawaii Hare Krishna temple, which is next door to the Airbnb on Coelho Way. DailyMail.com has contacted the temple for comment; its leaders didn't immediately respond.
Myeni's wife has previously said her husband took off his adidas women shoes 2016 as a mark of respect - as she said is customary in the Zulu Kingdom.  
Following the shooting, police initially said they had responded to a home invasion. They said Myeni's strange behavior frightened the occupants and that he violently attacked responding police officers, leaving one hospitalized with a concussion. 
Lindani Myeni on a beach in Waimanalo, Hawaii with his wife and two children. Myeni, a married black father-of-two from the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa, was shot and killed by Honolulu Police officers back on April 14 in the Nuuanu neighborhood
The doorbell footage begins with the lights of two vehicles pulling up outside the Airbnb at 91 Coehlo Way at 8.07pm.
The captions on the footage say that the address is next door to a temple, which has a similar semi-circular driveway and columns.
The Wangs are then seen walking up to the front door of the property.
According to depositions in the lawsuit, Shiying and her husband were tourists from New Jersey staying in the multi-unit dwelling, the lawyers said.
Da Ju is ahead of his wife. Myeni is then seen walking up behind them. He is wearing a face mask and his umqhele, a traditional Zulu headband.
Dexter opens the door and enters followed by Sabine, who turns and watches as Myeni stops at the porch and bends to take off his shoes.
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She pauses and watches him before following her husband inside the property.
Myeni slowly talks off his shoes and strolls in after them.  
Voices are heard from inside the home, but they are unclear in the recording
Moments later, Myeni exits the property and stands, still wearing his mask, looking back inside. 
Shiying is heard making a 911 call - although Myeni's lawyer says the first one heard of the tape is just pretend; she doesn't actually call 911 until a bit later. 
'Hello, someone just break in, breaking into my house… he's in front of our door,' she says, as Myeni stands outside.
The doorcam cuts out at this point, according to the lawyers. It is 8.09pm.
Shiying then actually called 911 and told an operator about the man: That call was recorded by 911 dispatch.
The 911 audio - which was previously released - captures Dexter in the background saying: 'We have no temple.'
The couple - Shiying 'Sabine' Wang and her husband Da Ju 'Dexter' Wang - are seen walking up to the front door of the property
Myeni is seen walking up behind them. He is wearing a face mask and his umqhele, a traditional Zulu headband
Myeni calmly stops at the porch and bends to take off his shoes before strolling in after them 
Shiying is heard saying: 'Please leave.' 
When asked who is in the property, she replies to say: 'He says Lindon from South Africa,' before adding that she does not know if the man knows the owner of the home they are renting as an Airbnb.
The operator asks if he has any weapons in his hands to which she replies, 'No.'
She also confirms he is not yelling at them. 
The footage released by the attorney moves back to the doorcam at this stage.
At this point, Myeni is seen walking back out of the property and turning to ask: 'What's wrong?'    
'Who are you?' shouts Shiying, sounding more hysterical.
Myeni then repeatedly says: 'I'm sorry.'
'I know you guys though. May I see your phone?' he adds.
Shiying is heard on the 911 call saying he tried to go outside. 
Da Ju is heard saying: 'My wife is so afraid and I don't know what's going on. I don't know. He said his name is Lindon.'
The attorney said he was on the phone to the Airbnb owner James H. Hall. Hall didn't comment.
Myeni is then seen calmly walking out of the home. He puts his shoes back on and walks back in the direction of his car, again apologizing: 'Sorry.'
Da Ju calmly walks out to see where he has gone and tells Hall: 'He apologized and he just left.' 
Voices are heard from inside the home but they are unclear. Moments later, Myeni exits the property and stands, still wearing his mask, looking back inside. Sabine is heard appearing to pretend to make a 911 call claiming 'someone just break in'
The occupants then call 911. Myeni is then seen calmly walking out of the home repeatedly apologizing
He puts his shoes back on and walks back in the direction of his car, again apologizing: 'Sorry'
Shiying is heard on the 911 call growing more hysterical saying: 'I am afraid to go outside.'
Da Ju says: 'He apologized for [inaudible] and just left.'
Shiying is heard sobbing and says: 'Yes I see, car is here. He's still in the community. I think the police officer can stop him.'
'I saw a car...' she says, with her voice becoming inaudible.
The operator asks Sabine if she remembers what his car looks like. 
The video released by the family attorney shows the doorcam and the police bodycam footage side by side, giving different perspectives of the same moment and what happens next.
In the doorcam, Shiying runs out of the front door and points at Myeni in the distance saying 'that's him' as the officers arrived on the scene. Neither Myeni nor the officers are visible in this footage. 
In the bodycam, Shiying's voice can be heard and the outline of a man - now known to be Myeni - is seen in front of the officer. 
'Get on the ground now,' one officer is heard repeatedly saying.
'Who are you? Who are you?' Myeni asks.  
Police bodycam footage previously released shows none of the officers identified themselves as police until they had already fired three gunshots at Myeni. 
It was also pitch black outside at the time. 
Myeni's family say he would not have known the people shining bright lights in his eyes in the darkness were police. 
He likely mistook the house for a similar looking dwelling that houses a temple next door that's open to the public, the lawsuit said.
Lindani Myeni in his South Africa Idol audition. His wife has filed a lawsuit claiming he was racially discriminated against
The lawyers said they were still evaluating full, unredacted body camera footage for the period after the shooting.   
A statement from the lawyers who released the video said Honolulu police 'tried to convince the public that this was a burglary and that Lindani 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.'
The statement added: 'We have also compelled the City to turn over unredacted body cam footage in its original format, producing much better quality audio and images than the version that HPD played for the press on April 16, 2021.' 
Police officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment after the widow's lawyers released the video.  
'Mr. Myeni's death is tragic,' Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement. 'We await both sides making their arguments in court, consequently I have no further comment at this time.' 
Officials previously released clips from two of the three bodycams worn by cops from the night of the incident; a third was not activated during the struggle.
The clips show three gunshots rang out before an officer says, 'police.'  
Acting Deputy Chief Allan Nagata has acknowledged police did not initially identify themselves but said: 'They were in the fight for their lives. They were very brave. They didn't shoot or discharge the firearm right away. This was not a case of overreaction.' 
Honolulu police body camera footage of the fatal shooting shows three gunshots rang out before an officer says 'police' 
The officer yells repeatedly for Myeni to get on the ground. Shots ring out and then after a pause, an officer said, 'police'
'They didn't identify themselves, but hey, let's be honest. They're in uniform, right? They're coming there with the police cars. Although it is dark, it's pretty clear.' 
Myeni had assaulted the officers, punching one of them until the officer briefly lost consciousness, Nagata said.  
The first clip - which is badly lit - begins with a woman crying and telling an officer: 'That's him.'  
Myeni, who did not have criminal history, is then seen in the driveway of the home. An officer tells him: 'Get on the ground now.'
After Myeni walks towards the cop a struggle ensues with the officer filming the altercation appearing to be knocked to the floor.  
A second clip from a third officer on the scene shows Myeni engages in a struggle with the two other officers. 
That third officer deploys his taser before a shot is fired. Three more then follow.    
Towards the end of the video an officer then yells 'police.'    
Police said the taser was ineffective in subduing Myeni, who then charged at the third officer and punched him. 
Myeni then allegedly ran back at the first officer who fired a single gunshot at him.
The Airbnb on Coelho Way in the Nuuanu neighborhood where the married father-of-two from the Zulu Kingdom in South Africa was shot and killed by Honolulu Police officers on April 14
The shot did not stop the Myeni, who tackled the officer to the ground, straddling him and punching him repeatedly, police said. 
At this point, the second cop fired three rounds at Myeni, who fell to the ground, police said.
'This all happened in less than one minute from officer one's arrival,' Ballard said.    
Myeni was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds where he later died from his injuries. 
One cop was hospitalized with major facial injuries and concussion following the incident while the other two also sustained injuries.  
Myeni's wife Lindsay Myeni filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and the three cops involved in his death, claiming wrongful death, negligence and assault and battery.
The suit claims both the renters of the home at 91 Coelho Way and the officers racially discriminated against Myeni because he was black, with the cops 'treating him as less than a human being.'  
Myeni's American wife has also insisted he was not a violent person and has suggested his actions may have been the result of cultural differences after he moved to Hawaii in January.    
Bickerton is trying to depose Shiying, her husband Da Ju and the owner of the home to question them over the incident.   
Lindani Myeni with his wife and two children. The family says Myeni mistook the home for at the ISKCON Hawaii temple next door to the Airbnb on Coelho Way
'After Mr. Myeni arrived by car and removed his shoes upon entering the transient accommodations house on the Property, Mr. Myeni became aware that he was unwelcome and left the house peacefully,' the suit filed on April 22 claims.
'The response by the occupants of the Property was motivated by Mr. Myeni's race and constituted racial discrimination in public accommodation.' 
The attorney said, as an Airbnb rental, discrimination by persons owning, operating or controlling the establishment on grounds of race is illegal. 
Before Myeni's shooting, police had been called to numerous other incidents at the Airbnb including a vehicle break-in and the property was also subject to seven complaints from 2019 to 2020 of it being used as an illegal short-term rental. 
The suit also claims the responding officers treated Myeni differently because of his race.   
'This conduct towards Mr. Myeni, treating him as less than a human being regardless of whatever alleged 'crime' was being investigated and callously not deigning to explain themselves, their identity, or their purpose, was motivated by racial discrimination towards people of Mr. Myeni's African descent,' it reads. 
Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard has denied race was a factor in Myeni's death previously saying it was 'nothing to do with race' but insisted that the officers' lives were 'in jeopardy.'
'I think what we need to remember is it had nothing to do with race. It had to do with behavior and the fact that this person seriously injured the officers and their lives were in jeopardy,' Ballard said.  
The family's suit also claims the officers tried to take Myeni 'by surprise' as they did not announce they were law enforcement officers. 
Myeni pictured with his wife. The family filed a suit on April 22 against the cops and the city
Myeni's family has cast doubts on the police's version of events, with his American wife Lindsay (pictured together) saying he was not a violent person
Myeni (pictured with his wife). They also claim cops treated 'him as less than a human being' due to being black
'Unbeknown to Mr. Myeni, the police decided to treat this non-violent and peaceful entry into, and departure from, a place of public accommodation, as a crime in progress, and arrived at the scene without lights, sirens or other indicators of their presence in an apparent attempt to take the 'perpetrator' by surprise,' the suit reads.
'As there was no moon present in the sky at the time and this was a residential street in Nuuanu, it was dark.
'As Mr. Myeni stood still, unarmed, on the side of the driveway just a few feet off the street, one of the Officers, while hysterical screams of 'that's him' emanated from a person standing in the doorway of the house on the Property, suddenly shone the flashlight directly in Mr. Myeni's eyes and held a pistol in the flashlight beam pointed at Mr. Myeni.'
It continues: 'At the same time, without ever announcing that he was an officer or using the word 'police,' or stating his purpose, that officer shouted several times in a rough, aggressive, disrespectful, and threatening manner 'get on the ground.'  
The family also claim the Honolulu Police Department has also refused to hand over Myeni's cellphone to either them or to prosecutors probing the man's death.
'What are they hiding?,' Bickerton said to the Star-Advertiser. 
The lawyer said the family wants to both retrieve personal family photos and try to use the call and map history on the phone to piece together the night's events.  
Lindsay Myeni, who was born in the US but met her husband while she was on missionary work in South Africa, previously toldshe does not know what led him to visit the home.
However, she dismissed the claims it was a burglary, describing him as the 'most gentle person' and suggesting different cultural norms may have meant his actions were misunderstood by the residents. 
The shooting happened three months after Lindani and Lindsay Myeni moved to Hawaii, where she grew up. 
The couple believed Hawaii's diversity would make it the safest U.S. state to raise their two black children, she said.   
Lindsay suggested his actions may have been the result of cultural differences after he moved to Hawaii in January. Lindsay said in the Zulu Kingdom it is customary to go into 'anyone's home' and taking off his shoes was a mark of respect
Myeni is from the Zulu Kingdom where it is customary for people to visit 'anyone's house', she said. 
'In Zulu culture you can go to anyone's house. You can knock on anyone's door. It doesn't matter if it's 8 o'clock it's not a big deal. Neighbor are neighbors,' she told Hawaii News Now.
Lindsay added that the fact he took off his shoes shows he believed he was showing the homeowners respect. 
'It says he took off his shoes. I'm sure he did that as a sign of respect,' she told the outlet.
Lindsay said her husband had been on his way home to the house they shared with their two children just down the street from the now-crime scene. 
He had been at the Pali Lookout earlier that day and seemed his usual self, she said, adding she had spoken to him less than 20 minutes before the incident unfolded.    
'He was on his way home. So for whatever reason, he stopped to talk to this neighbor - that literally is down the street from us,' she said. 
'I don't know why he stopped at those people's house,' she said, adding that they didn't know each other.
She insisted he 'wouldn't burglarize' saying: 'We have money. We have everything we need. We're not looking for anything. He wanted to talk to them for some reason.'
Lindsay told the outlet she could not understand what had happened as he is the 'most gentle person... and the best father.' 
She added: 'We've got two babies under 2. I've got to go to sleep every night without him.' 
Myeni appeared on Idols (South Africa) in 2013 and was the nephew of a rural king's village in the Zulu Kingdom, meaning he has the rank of a prince.  
His death came one week after Honolulu Police officers shot and killed 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap (pictured) during a car chase on April 5 
He also used to play rugby for KZN club in Durban.
Myeni and his wife met six years ago when she was on a Christian mission in the country.
They lived in South Africa for three years before moving to the US and then relocating to Hawaii in January.  
Myeni was supposed to have his green card interview the following week after his death, his wife said. 
'We dated, got engaged and got married before he ever came to America,' Lindsay told Hawaii News Now. 
'He never wanted to come to America. It was never anything he was interested in. He loves his people. He is from the Zulu tribe. They speak Zulu.'  
Myeni's death came one week after Honolulu Police officers also shot and killed 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap during a car chase on April 5.  
Sykap died from multiple gunshot wounds following a police chase that started on the East side of O'ahu and ended near Kalakaua Avenue.
Six people were in the car, with two of them shot by officers in the incident.   
Sykap was taken to a hospital where he died while the other person shot - a 14-year-old boy - survived. 
Police said the car was involved in an armed robbery just 20 minutes prior to the shooting. 
Both males killed in the officer-involved shootings are thought to have been unarmed at the time. 
These officer-involved shootings come as the nation is reeling from multiple other police killings of predominantly black men across the US.     




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