Two Honolulu police officers fatally shot, officials say
Two Honolulu police officers were fatally shot on Sunday morning near the base of Diamond Head State Monument, and the home where the shooting occurred as well as several others nearby went up in flames, officials said.
A man allegedly stabbed his landlord about 9:30 a.m., shot the responding officers and then set fire to the home on Hibiscus Drive, Hawaii News Now and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Homeowner Lois Cain was trying to evict the man, Jaroslav Hanel, according to the Associated Press. A neighbor, Dolores Sandvold, told the Associated Press that she saw Cain being loaded into an ambulance. Her condition was unknown on Sunday.
The blaze spread to at least four other homes and at least one police car, according to Hawaii News Now and the Star-Advertiser. Police are not searching for Hanel, who is believed to have died in the fire, the newspapers reported.
Jonathan Burge, a lawyer who has represented Hanel in several disputes with neighbors, told the AP that he did not consider Hanel violent but that "he's kind of a quirky guy and had problems." Hanel thought that the government was listening in on his phone, Burge said. Burge told the AP that Hanel did handyman work at Cain's house in exchange for living there rent-free but that they had a disagreement when Hanel's dog died and Cain would not let him get another one.
City Council member Kymberly Marcos Pine, D, said she was praying for the families of the officers who were killed and "all who were injured during the Diamond Head incident today."
"It is terribly upsetting to see the recent increase in crime and we grieve with HPD and other first-responders who put their lives on the line to keep us safe," Pine said in a statement.
Diamond Head, a volcanic crater, is a popular major tourist destination for visitors to the iconic neighborhood of Waikiki. The Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Beach are also near the location of the shooting.
A woman in the neighborhood posted Facebook Live videos showing smoke rising from a home and a SWAT team member crouching behind a wall next to her.
Popping noises were heard in the background.
"I was walking my dogs, and now we're down under siege," she said. "This has never happened before here."
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said some of its agents responded to the shooting scene.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, D, shared his condolences with the families of the officers who were shot and the police department.
"This is an unprecedented tragedy for not only the City and County of Honolulu but the entire state of Hawai'i," he said in a statement.
Gov. David Ige, D, said that all of Hawaii mourns the officers.
"As we express our condolences to their families, friends and colleagues, let us also come together to help and support those who have been forever changed by this tragedy," he said in a statement.
The deceased officers' identities have not been released.