Police have identified a man killed in a police-involved shooting early Friday morning in Hilo. ADVERTISING Police have identified a man killed in a police-involved shooting early Friday morning in Hilo. Assistant Chief Henry Tavares identified the victim as 38-year-old
Police have identified a man killed in a police-involved shooting early Friday morning in Hilo.
Assistant Chief Henry Tavares identified the victim as 38-year-old Ronald Barawis Jr. of Kailua-Kona, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds after being shot by police shortly after midnight behind the McDonald’s restaurant in the Puainako Town Center.
Also shot was a 28-year-old Mountain View woman who was a front-seat passenger in the black 1991 Honda 4-door sedan Barawis was driving.
Tavares said the woman was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, where she is listed in critical but stable condition.
“She was not arrested, so we’re not going to be releasing her name,” Tavares said. Asked if she was wanted for anything, he replied “not at this point in the investigation.”
Barawis was the subject of a Jan. 20 wanted bulletin by police, and is also featured on the current episode of the public access cable TV program “Hawaii Island’s Most Wanted.”
Tavares said Barawis had a shotgun, an assault rifle and two semi-automatic handguns “within Barawis’ reach in the vehicle he was operating.”
“There also was what appears to be a bullet-proof vest over the backrest of the driver’s seat,” Tavares said.
Tavares said Barawis had two outstanding warrants for violating parole and contempt of court, and was also wanted for resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle, reckless driving and reckless endangering.
“Those three incidents, resisting, reckless driving and reckless endangering occurred during a Jan. 20 incident in Kailua-Kona, where he charged forward with his vehicle, nearly striking a police officer,” Tavares said.
“He was also being sought for questioning the attempted murder incident that took place Jan. 29 in upper Kaumana,” Tavares said and added police believe Barawis was there.
That incident invoved three men in a black Toyota Tacoma pickup who reported being shot at by occupants of a late-model white 4-door sedan as they were driving east on Kaumana Drive.
The men were uninjured but were forced to leave the disabled truck on Wilder Road.
Police say in Friday’s incident, officers spotted Barawis in the Honda in the McDonald’s drive-through, and when officers commanded him to get out of the car, Barawis drove over the drive-through’s barrier curb, accelerated, drove directly at an officer and then rammed into two police vehicles.
Tavares said four officers were at the scene and three fired at Barawis’ car.
No bystanders were injured, police said.
The officers who fired their weapons have 20, 15, and six years of experience with the Hawaii Police Department.
Tavares said those officers have been put on paid administrative leave, standard procedure after a police-involved shooting. The Hilo Criminal Investigations Section will conduct a criminal investigation into the shooting and the Office of Professional Standards — the department’s internal affairs unit — will conduct an administrative investigation.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Detective Grant Todd at 961-2385, Detective Dean Uyetake at 961-2379 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
