Kailua-Kona, HI – A Hawai’i Police Department officer discharged his firearm early Thursday morning after a vehicle allegedly sped directly toward him while he was directing traffic near a road closure on Palani Road. The incident occurred at approximately 3:03 a.m. near the intersection of Palani Road and Konalani Street, following an earlier traffic collision that downed a utility pole.
According to police reports (Report No.: 25-030815), officers were diverting traffic through a nearby subdivision while Hawaiian Electric workers repaired the damage from the initial collision, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. near the 37-mile marker on Palani Road.
The officer involved in the shooting was positioned at the intersection of Palani Road and Konalani Street, outside his vehicle, deploying flares to warn oncoming traffic. Police stated that a red Volvo C30, driven by 21-year-old Akira Kauilani of Kailua-Kona, approached the officer’s position at a high rate of speed.
The officer reportedly used his flashlight and arms to signal Kauilani, directing him toward the detour. However, police say Kauilani disregarded the officer’s instructions and drove into the oncoming traffic lane, directly towards the officer.
“Believing the vehicle would strike him, the officer, in fear for his life, fired at the vehicle at least two times,” stated a police press release.
The Volvo continued past the officer and stopped approximately 100 yards beyond the police vehicle.
The officer immediately rushed to the Volvo to render aid and detain the driver. Kauilani was not struck by the officer’s bullets but sustained lacerations to his head and forearms from broken vehicle glass.
Kauilani was arrested for reckless endangering, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, and other traffic-related offenses. He was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
The officer was not injured in the incident.
The Hawai‘i Police Department Office of Professional Standards has initiated a critical incident review, as is standard practice in officer-involved shootings. The officer, a nearly two-year veteran assigned to the Kona patrol division, has been placed on administrative leave while the review is conducted “to ensure he is mentally, emotionally, and physically able to return to work.”
Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information related to the case to contact the department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Detective Gavin Kagimoto of the Professional Standards Office at (808) 961-2348 or gavin.kagimoto@hawaiicounty.gov.