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Hawaii Shooting: Gunman Fatally Shoots 2 Police Officers and Sets Home Ablaze Hawaii Shooting: 2 Police Officers Are Killed, Officials Say
(about 2 hours later)
Two police officers were shot and killed after a gunman opened fire in Honolulu on Sunday afternoon, officials said. A gunman opened fire in Honolulu on Sunday, killing two police officers, and set fire to a house he was in, starting a blaze that spread to several other houses, the authorities and witnesses said.
The Honolulu mayor’s office confirmed the two fatalities and issued a statement on Twitter offering “deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two officers as well as the entire Honolulu Police Department.” The Honolulu mayor’s office confirmed the two fatalities and on Twitter offered “deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two officers as well as the entire Honolulu Police Department.”
A police spokesman, John McCarthy, did not offer additional details about what led to the shooting. A police spokesman, John McCarthy, did not offer additional details about what led to the shooting. The police did not say whether anyone was in custody.
Patricia Cooper, 71, said the police had ordered her and her family to evacuate after the gunman set the house he was in on fire and the blaze spread to two other houses. She said she was not sure if the police had anyone in custody. Patricia Cooper, 71, who lives in the area where the shooting occurred, said the police had ordered her and her family to evacuate after the gunman set the house he was in on fire and the blaze spread to other houses.
“Right now there’s only one house separating us from the fire so we were told to evacuate,” she said. “They can’t let the fire trucks in because of an active shooter situation, so that’s kind of where we are now.”“Right now there’s only one house separating us from the fire so we were told to evacuate,” she said. “They can’t let the fire trucks in because of an active shooter situation, so that’s kind of where we are now.”
Capt. Jeffrey Roache, a spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department, said that “multiple structures” — about a dozen — were involved. He said gas lines ruptured and also caught fire. About 50 firefighters responded to the scene, and damage assessments were continuing, he said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter that it was sending agents to the scene.The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter that it was sending agents to the scene.
Ms. Cooper described the neighborhood as quiet, friendly and relatively affluent, and said it is a short distance from a beach that is a popular surfing spot. “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,” Gov. David Ige of Hawaii said on Twitter.
Jason Bajor, 40, said he was out for a walk around 9:30 a.m. local time when a “massive number” of police vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances drove by him toward the home he was renting for a couple of weeks. Stephany Sofos, who broadcast live video from the neighborhood on Facebook, said she was walking her dogs when the episode started. A thick plume of smoke was visible as she turned her camera toward the blaze. As she spoke, pops — one after another — could be heard in the background.
Jason Bajor, 40, said he was out for a walk around 9:30 a.m. local time when a “massive number” of police vehicles, fire trucks and ambulances drove by him.
As he got closer, he saw a swarm of police officers with their guns drawn, telling onlookers to move away.As he got closer, he saw a swarm of police officers with their guns drawn, telling onlookers to move away.
People were standing in the nearby park and others were standing on roofs trying to see what was happening, he said. People were in the nearby park and others were standing on roofs trying to see what was happening, he said.
Mr. Bajor said he noticed dark smoke coming from the house around 9:45 a.m. and then he heard more gunshots. It sounded like ammunition going off inside the house, he said.Mr. Bajor said he noticed dark smoke coming from the house around 9:45 a.m. and then he heard more gunshots. It sounded like ammunition going off inside the house, he said.
“When the smoke from the house got darker, the fear started to kick in,” Mr. Bajor said. “We went back to our house where we were staying, gathered our stuff and left the neighborhood.”“When the smoke from the house got darker, the fear started to kick in,” Mr. Bajor said. “We went back to our house where we were staying, gathered our stuff and left the neighborhood.”
Mr. Bajor described the neighborhood as a collection of bungalows and craftsman-style homes occupied by a mixture of renters and long-term homeowners. The neighborhood is “not a cheap place to stay,” he said.Mr. Bajor described the neighborhood as a collection of bungalows and craftsman-style homes occupied by a mixture of renters and long-term homeowners. The neighborhood is “not a cheap place to stay,” he said.
Most homes in the neighborhood where the shooting took place sell for at least $2 million, but that has not insulated the area from Honolulu’s homeless problem, said David E. Buck, the principal broker at Harcourts Island Real Estate. Most homes in the neighborhood where the shooting took place sell for at least $2 million, said David E. Buck, the principal broker at Harcourts Island Real Estate.
“I thought it was another home invasion,” Mr. Buck said on Sunday. “They’re breaking into homes and the city is not doing enough to stop it.” Mr. Buck said many of the bungalows on the part of Hibiscus Drive where the shooting took place were built in the 1920s and 1930s, and some of them have been designated as historically significant.
Mr. Buck said many of the bungalows on the part of Hibiscus Drive where the shooting took place were built in the 1920s and 1930s, and some of them have been designated as historically significant. The lots are 4,000 to 5,000 square feet and are a few blocks from the beach, he said. “They’re little treasures,” he said of the bungalows. The lots are 4,000 to 5,000 square feet and are a few blocks from the beach, he said. “They’re little treasures,” he said of the bungalows.
Neil Vigdor contributed reporting.Neil Vigdor contributed reporting.