Posted on: Tuesday, December 25, 2001

Man fatally shot by Big Island police identified

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — A Puna man shot dead by a police officer Saturday during a knife attack was identified yesterday as Santiago Vasquez, 39, of Leilani Estates.

Big Island police officials have not released the name of the 37-year-old officer who shot Vasquez twice in the chest, saying only that he joined the police force three years ago.

The shooting occurred after police arrived at Vasquez's Kupono Street residence shortly before 2 p.m. to discover Vasquez attacking another man with a military-type dagger, said Capt. James Day.

When Vasquez refused to drop the weapon, he was shot, Day said.

An autopsy yesterday determined the man died of a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. A second bullet entered his right chest and exited through Vasquez's right arm, but was considered nonfatal.

Police said the incident began when members of a Leilani Estates family forced their way into Vasquez's residence and assaulted his 32-year-old female companion. Vasquez responded by attacking one of the intruders, a 46-year-old man. The cause of the break-in was not immediately known.

The woman was treated at Hilo Medical Center and later released. The man attacked by Vasquez did not require medical treatment.

Day said detectives are looking into possible burglary, assault and attempted assault charges against the intruders, whose names were not released.