The wrongful death lawsuit to determine a civil penalty in the police gunning down of Lindani Myeni will begin in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (US) later on Monday.

The first order of business will be the selection of the jury in the trial against the Honolulu City Council and Police Department.

Myeni’s widow Lindsay brought the lawsuit after alleging that police acted recklessly and without justification when they killed her 20-year-old South African-born husband on the night of April 14, 2021.

The civil procedure comes after the city council rejected a $1.5 million settlement in the wrongful lawsuit case last year.

The decision to file suit came after the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney found that the two officers who shot Lindani Myeni on that fateful night in April more than four years ago were justified in using deadly force and that the officers would not face charges in the case.

A council vote to settle the case late last year was cancelled, leading to the civil procedure seeking financial damages.

Myeni’s attorney Jim Bickerton told SABC News last year that they believed they would prevail at a jury trial and anticipated the damages would be much higher than the initial settlement the Council rejected.

VIDEO | Trial begins in wrongful death lawsuit over US police shooting of Lindani Myeni: