Police say an officer shot and killed a man Saturday afternoon in Papaaloa.
Police say an officer shot and killed a man Saturday afternoon in Papaaloa.
Officers were investigating a reported disturbance at a home in the Hamakua Coast town when they encountered the man, whom they say was wielding a loaded crossbow.
One officer fired several shots, killing the man.
The dead man’s name is being withheld pending positive identification.
The department’s 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.
The officer who fired the weapon will be placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
This is the third time an on-duty Hawaii County police officer has fired a weapon this year, and the first time the shooting has resulted in death or injury.
Officers shot six people in the line of duty in 2016, five of them fatally. All the shootings were in East Hawaii.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 935-3311 Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.