Hawaii Police Department officers employed a drone Tuesday to gather intelligence during a seven-hour-plus standoff with an allegedly armed suspect in Kalapana Black Sands subdivision.
According to court documents filed by police, 47-year-old Jameel Comier was standing in an enclosed screen patio on the second floor of his Kalapana Street home when East Hawaii Vice Section officers, assisted by the East Hawaii Crime Reduction Unit, entered the property to serve a narcotics search warrant.
Upon spotting the officers walking up his driveway, Comier allegedly shouted, “Don’t come up here! I have a gun, and I will shoot!”
The officers immediately sought cover, according to the documents, and called in the Special Response Team, HPD’s SWAT unit.
Comier allegedly told officers his girlfriend and daughter were inside the house, and SRT deployed a drone for aerial surveillance to assess his actions and to determine if there were others in the residence.
Surveillance images showed Comier was armed with what appeared to be a silver handgun, the documents state.
Comier surrendered to officers without incident at 2 p.m. and was taken into custody.
The search warrant was executed, and officers reportedly found 11.89 grams of methamphetamine and 3.54 grams of cocaine, plus a digital scale that tested positive for trace amounts of meth. Also found was a second silver handgun similar to the one Comier was spotted with, the documents state.
After being advised of his rights, Comier allegedly admitted to being a drug user but denied ownership of the meth and cocaine found in the home. He also told officers he lived alone in the house.
Comier was charged with two counts of second-degree promotion of a dangerous drug, possessing drug paraphernalia, carrying a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, and having no permit to acquire a firearm. He also was booked on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, but that charge wasn’t filed pending further investigation.
The most serious charge, carrying a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, is a Class A felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.
Comier has no prior felony convictions, according to police.
At Comier’s initial court appearance Friday, Hilo District Judge Kanani Laubach denied a defense motion to free Comier on supervised release, a form of cashless bail. She maintained his bail at $101,000 and ordered him to return to court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
Comier remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.