A Honolulu Police Department officer shot and killed an armed man at a Waiʻanae home after responding to calls of a domestic argument and gunfire.
The police were called before 6 p.m. Wednesday to a home on Puhinalo Place. Callers reported an argument in the street followed by gunfire.
Arriving officers heard screaming and ran to the back of the house where they found a man armed with a handgun, police said.
Police said that the man was standing just inside a shattered glass door and that the officer repeatedly told him to drop the firearm.
The suspect racked a round, or pulled the slide back and let it slide forward, according to police. The officer then shot the man twice.
The officer administered first aid after shooting the man until paramedics arrived, police said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect has not been identified but was said to have 14 criminal convictions, including 11 felonies.
Police also found three other people shot in the house. Police said they are expected to recover.
Police said a fourth person was found with assault-type injuries, while two other adults and two minors were at the home and unhurt.
Police investigators said the suspect lived across the street from where the shooting took place. They said he was involved in an argument with his girlfriend in the street before a relative took her to his home.
The suspect then went into his own home and came back out with a homemade rifle, which he tried to shoot unsuccessfully, police said. The suspect went back to his house to get a handgun. He then walked to the relative’s home and shot four rounds. Police said the handgun was stolen.
Police said the officer who shot the suspect has been with HPD for four years and has been offered administrative leave. No officers were injured.
Earlier this month, 31-year-old Cheylo Perkins-Chongtim was shot to death at the Waiʻanae Small Boat Harbor parking lot. Rastan Brown-Castro, 25, was indicted on second-degree murder charges.
Police Chief Joe Logan said the officers in this week’s shooting were able to respond quickly because they were nearby. But he said that the four to five police officers patrolling Waiʻanae at any given time cannot be everywhere at once.
“We need help. We need people in the community that live in the community, that know things are going on, that understand who is in their communities that may be armed, may be doing dangerous things to help the police do our job and help their community ensuring they are not a victim later on," Logan said. "So we need everybody’s help. This is not just a police issue. This is a community and social issue.”
Logan said there is body cam footage as well as video from a private Ring camera system at a home. He said police will use the footage to complete their investigation. Logan said the body cam footage will be released after the investigation is completed.
