Police shoot, kill man who fired gun inside Waikiki hotel
HONOLULU — Honolulu police officers shot and killed a man who refused to come out of a Waikiki hotel room and had fired several rounds, forcing the evacuation of about 90 tourists and international students.
Management at the Ohia Waikiki Studio Suites called police just before 5 p.m. Thursday asking for help escorting a man from the property, Honolulu Police Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan said.
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When officers went to the 5th floor unit and identified themselves as police, they heard a gunshot from inside, he said.
The man ignored negotiators’ attempts to contact him, Logan said.
Throughout the night, the man fired at least eight rounds, including one that hit a police vehicle parked on the street below.
Shortly after midnight, a robot entered the unit and the suspect walked into the hallway with his hands in the air, holding a handgun.
Officers ordered him to drop the weapon, but he advanced toward them and lowered the hand holding the gun, Logan said.
That’s when two officers fired their guns, striking the man twice, he said.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he died.
“It’s not the outcome we wanted but we are grateful that no one else was hurt,” Logan said at a news conference Friday.
Police did not release the name of the man, 48.
Logan said he had a local address but was a guest at the hotel.
“We can confirm that all our team members and guests at Ohia Waikiki Studio Suites are safe after last night’s events,” said a statement Friday from Springboard Hospitality, the hotel’s operator.
“Any further inquiries can be directed to the Honolulu Police Department,” he added.
The Visitors Aloha Society of Hawaii, a nonprofit organization that helps visitors in crisis, arranged for about 90 displaced guests to wait out the incident. The guests were moved to the Hilton Hawaiian Village located on the other end of Waikiki.
Jessica Lani Rich, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, said she got the call from police requesting her help at about 9 p.m.
Within minutes she arranged for taxis to take the guests to a large ballroom at the Hilton, where they were given blankets, pizza and other personal items, including diapers for babies, Rich said.
Most of the group — about 70 of them — were international students, she said.
While they were able to return to their original rooms in the early morning hours, some people missed their flights, Rich said.
