Police have a suspect in custody after an officer was shot late Wednesday night in Hawaiian Beaches subdivision in lower Puna.
The officer, said to be in his 30s, was taken to Hilo Medical Center for surgery. He was reportedly shot in the leg. According to police, he is in stable condition.
Police say officers were called to a reported assault on Oio Street at 10:22 Wednesday. As they approached the suspect’s home, a man at the home fired a single gunshot and hit the officer, described in a statement as a two-year veteran of the force.
The suspect reportedly barricaded himself into the home and a standoff ensued. Neighbors were evacuated and police established a perimeter.
The Special Response Team — the department’s SWAT unit — and crisis negotiators were called to the scene.
The suspect reportedly was taken into custody at 7 a.m. Police have not yet identified him.
The investigation is classified as attempted first-degree murder, as the shooting victim is a police officer.
Police said at about 10 a.m. Thursday the streets in Hawaiian Beaches have been reopened.
This is a developing story. The Tribune-Herald will update as more information becomes available and a full story will appear in Friday’s edition.