A deputy Hawaii sheriff shot and killed a man during a struggle at the state Capitol.
Last Updated at 4:25 pm, Tuesday February 19th
The state Department of Public Safety says the deputy sheriff was conducting routine patrols at the Capitol in downtown Honolulu Monday night when he encountered a man with a bottle of alcohol.
The Honolulu Police Department is conducting the law enforcement investigation into the incident. In a briefing to the media, DPS Director Nolan Espinda said that HPD has initially categorized the investigatios as an "unintended death" and "an assualt on a law enforcement officer."
According to Espinda, Honolulu Police made the initital determination that the deceased man was "physically combative" with the Sheriff's deputy, despite numerous verbal warnings. Hawaii Sheriff's Deputies are equipped with non-lethal pepper spray and battons, but not tazers.
Sheriff's deputies who responded performed CPR until emergency medical workers arrived to take him to a hospital, where he later died.
The incident was apparently not captured by surveillance cameras at the Capitol. Deputies were not equipped with body cameras.
The Honolulu medical examiner's office says the man's identification is pending. The Department of Public Safety is conducting its own internal investigation.
The sheriff division is responsible for protecting state facilities, including the Hawaii Capitol.
This is a developing story, and will be updated.
