Hawaii island police fatally shot a man armed with two knives in a vacant Hilo home Friday morning.
The shooting happened at a home in the 1800 block of Kilauea Avenue while officers were responding to an alleged break-in, according to a police .
Officers swept the home and found a locked bedroom door. They breached that door, and a man attacked one of the officers with a large knife, according to police.
Two officers fired their weapons, killing the 31-year-old man. Police won’t release his identity until the man’s family is notified.
The Hawaii Police Department’s criminal investigation division and the office of professional standards are investigating the incident.
Body camera footage released Saturday morning shows the officers in the home on Kilauea Avenue attempting to open the locked bedroom door. There were three officers in the home standing in a line in the hallway. The footage comes from the third officer in the back.
Shortly after breaking open the door, the injured officer and a second officer fire about 13 shots. The knife attack can’t be seen on video, but an officer can be seen in the room standing near the male suspect.
The third officer takes the injured officer outside of the home and puts a tourniquet over his injured arm.
The injured officer is a 12-year police veteran, while the other officer who fired his weapon had one year with the police department.
According to police, footage wasn’t recovered from the injured officer’s body camera. Police are investigating why the camera didn’t capture footage of the shooting.
This is the second police shooting on the Big Island this week. On Sunday, police killed a man in a shootout just north of Hilo.
Ryan Santos, 34, shot at officers with a semi-automatic rifle after police responded to a home on a domestic violence call.
from one officer on the scene during that incident shows police walking into a home and quickly retreating when Santos appears with a rifle. The officer runs back to his car, grabs a rifle and takes cover.
Santos can be heard shooting at the officers. The officer fires several shots, apparently striking Santos.
In a written statement, Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth thanked Big Island police for risking their lives.
“The events that took place this week are extremely rare and stark reminders of the threats that each officer faces when they step out their door and away from their families every day,” Roth said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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About the Author
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Blaze Lovell is a reporter for Civil Beat. Born and raised on Oahu, Lovell is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. You can reach him at blovell@civilbeat.org.