Police are withholding the name of the man shot by a Kaua’i Police Department officer Sunday morning. He is not yet in KPD custody. According to KPD Lt. Roy Asher, the man is at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu,
Police are withholding the name of the man shot by a Kaua’i Police Department officer Sunday morning.
He is not yet in KPD custody.
According to KPD Lt. Roy Asher, the man is at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, recovering from the wound inflicted by a single shot from the policeman’s pistol, and has not yet been arrested.
The suspect was prevented from causing more injury when he was shot by one of the officers at KPD head-quarters. He sustained a single gunshot wound, reportedly in the face, and was detained without further incident.
The man is stable condition, according to county Public Information Officer Mary Daubert.
The KPD officer, described by Asher as a “veteran,” took action after the local male allegedly failed to comply with demands of Kaua’i police to put down his weapons, both a large knife and a handgun of his own.
Asher said the shooting is a rare occurrence.
Daubert said the man was allegedly pointing a handgun and brandishing a large knife at police officers, and drove his sport-utility vehicle into a police car, possibly while trying to escape, injuring the officer in the car.
The injured police officer was treated for minor injuries at Wilcox Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, and released, according to Daubert. The man who was shot was also treated at Wilcox before being evacuated to Honolulu.
Asher said Monday that two investigations are being conducted. The first is the criminal event, and the other is an internal-affairs investigation into the shooting incident.
Asher said this is standard procedure He said the officer who fired the shot was on paid administrative leave till the internal-affairs investigation is complete.
According to county information, at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, an unidentified caller reported to KPD dispatchers that he observed the driver of a white sport-utility vehicle driving erratically on Kapule Highway, while brandishing a large knife and a handgun.
The driver of the SUV turned down Ka’ana Street, and stopped at the end of the cul-de-sac fronting KPD headquarters.
When responding officers arrived at the scene in their vehicles, the suspect was found standing outside his SUV.
He began brandishing the large knife at the officers, and when ordered to put the knife down, the suspect reached into his vehicle and pulled out a handgun.
According to the officers, the man pointed the gun at officers, then got into his vehicle and rammed a KPD vehicle positioned to prevent his vehicular escape, injuring an officer in the process.
When the man reversed his vehicle and seemed to be maneuvering for another ramming, the veteran officer fired one shot, wounding the suspect. That act allowed officers to subdue the man.
The suspect likely will face charges that could include attempted murder, criminal property damage, causing an accident involving injuries, assault on a police officer, terroristic threatening, and threatening officers with weapons.
