LIHU‘E — The suspect charged with shooting off several rifle rounds and initiating a police standoff last week in Kapa‘a, appeared for a custody arraignment Thursday in District Court. Kevin Christian, age 41, was arrested Jan. 5 for first-degree reckless
LIHU‘E — The suspect charged with shooting off several rifle rounds and initiating a police standoff last week in Kapa‘a, appeared for a custody arraignment Thursday in District Court.
Kevin Christian, age 41, was arrested Jan. 5 for first-degree reckless endangerment after holding Kaua‘i police and a SWAT unit at bay from 8 p.m. to midnight. He surrendered after reportedly firing more than 20 rounds, damaging property but not injuring anyone.
Christian was brought from custody at Kaua‘i Community Correctional Center to appear before per diem Judge Joseph N. Kobayashi. The hearing was to determine whether there was probable cause after hearing testimony from two witnesses.
The first witness, Roxanne Reis, was home with her 8-year-old grandson the night of the incident. She and her husband own the home adjacent to the studio they have rented to Christian for the past 13 years.
Questioned by county deputy prosecuting attorney John Murphy and deputy public defender Christian Enright, Reis recalled that around 4 p.m. the day of the incident, Christian was upset and saying his studio had been broken into and a rifle was missing. He was asking where her son Johnny was in regard to the theft.
Reis said she did not know Christian had any weapons and had never seen him with one. She testified that she learned that the rifle was not registered, and he did not call the police about the missing weapon.
Reis said she was seated on the couch with her grandson when they heard a shot at 8 p.m. It frightened the boy, and about a minute later they heard two more shots close together, one of them shattering a window in their home.
She said it was frightening, and she felt her life was threatened. When Reis later assessed the damage to her home, she said discovered bullet holes in her walls, cabinets, a refrigerator and broken windows.
After the three initial shots, Reis said she went to the garage and called the police. When officers arrived, it was dark and they called for backup, including crisis negotiators and a SWAT unit.
Reis and her grandson were sent beyond the police barricades in the residential Kapahi neighborhood in east Kaua‘i.
KPD officer Jason D. Overmyer testified as a backup officer who arrived at the scene. He recalled going around the side of the home to the area of Christian’s studio where it was dark and the lights were off.
Staying partially concealed from view, Overmyer said he illuminated the area of the studio with his flashlight and saw the defendant pointing a gun in his direction. He backed away immediately and said a round from Christian’s gun was sent in the area where he had been standing.
Overmyer said he did not return fire because he could not conceal himself, it was dark and he had no way of knowing who or what was behind the studio. He believed the gunfire was directed at him and another officer.
The officer would remain on the scene until negotiators talked Christian into turning himself in, just after midnight. In the duration, he said at least 20 shots were fired, although he did not know if they came from the same gun.
Testimony ended at 2 p.m. to allow for the afternoon District Court calendar. At least three more witnesses will testify on Jan. 23.
Christian is being held at KCCC on $100,000 bail.
