Police Investigating Officer Involved Shooting in Kona; No Serious Injuries

On April 4, 2025, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Kona patrol officers responded to a traffic collision on Palani Road near the 37-mile marker in Kailua-Kona. When they arrived, they found a vehicle had struck a wooden utility pole, causing the pole and live wires to block Palani Road. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured.

While police waited for Hawaiian Electric workers to respond and repair the damage caused by the traffic collision, officers diverted traffic through a nearby subdivision. One officer was positioned on Palani Road near Palihiolo Street and another was at the intersection of Palani Road and Konalani Street. Flares were used to warn approaching drivers and the officers’ emergency lights were illuminated.

Around 3:03 a.m., the officer at the Konalani Street intersection was outside his police vehicle, laying out additional flares, when a red Volvo C30, approached the officer’s position at a high rate of speed. The officer used his flashlight and arms to signal the driver and gain his attention, warning him of the road hazard ahead and directing him onto the Konalani Street detour. The driver disregarded the officer’s instructions and drove into the oncoming traffic lane directly at the officer. Believing the vehicle would strike him, the officer, in fear for his life, fired at the vehicle at least two times. The vehicle sped past the officer and came to a stop approximately one hundred yards beyond the officer’s vehicle. 

The officer rushed to the Volvo to render aid and detain the driver. The driver was not struck by the officer’s bullets but sustained a laceration to his head and forearms from broken vehicle glass. The driver, identified as 21-year-old Akira Kauilani of Kailua-Kona, was later arrested for reckless endangering, operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, and other traffic-related offenses. 

There were no passengers in Kauilani’s vehicle, and the officer was not injured as a result of the incident.

The Hawai‘i Police Department Office of Professional Standards has initiated a critical incident review into this incident, as is standard practice. The officer who fired his firearm has been with the department for just under two years and is assigned to the Kona patrol division. He has been placed on administrative leave to ensure he is mentally, emotionally, and physically able to return to work. 

Police ask anyone who may have witnessed or may have any information about the incident to please call 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.