PEARL CITY, Hawaii (KHON2) — It’s been 15 months since a man was fatally shot and killed by Honolulu Police after he grabbed a police officer’s unattended rifle during a standoff in Pearl City.
Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news
Police officials said the unattended rifle case is now part of a criminal investigation which was forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office in August.
“The fact it did get forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office for evaluation, that’s a good sign that the chief and his leadership team are holding people in the department accountable,” said Honolulu Police Commission Chair Doug Chin. “Because if they do something like that, that means more eyes are going to be looking at the facts of the investigation and whether there are any criminal charges to be brought.”
HPD said the case is also still under administrative investigation.
Chin said the Prosecutor’s Office and administration will be looking at whether the office followed proper policies and procedures such as how to handle a firearm, and whether any criminal laws were violated.