Police shooting in Ocean View leaves man dead, officer injured
A man was shot and killed by a Big Island police officer after throwing lava rocks at him during a foot chase, and police say the use of deadly force appears to have followed policy.
- Officers were flagged down over a stolen pair of glasses in an Ocean View shopping center parking lot, and the suspect ran into an open lava field.
- A lone officer caught up with him, fired his taser several times without effect, then shot twice after the man threatened to kill him and hurled large rocks.
- One rock struck the officer in the forearm, an injury serious enough to keep him off work on its own; he was treated and released.
- The man, a 31-year-old from Kahuku, died at the scene despite aid from the officer; no weapons were found on him.
- The officer had been with the department less than a year and on patrol alone for under two months.
Outlook: Body camera footage is expected within a day, with an autopsy and two separate investigations — one administrative, one criminal — set to determine what happened.