Posted on: Friday, June 22, 2001

Puna man shot by police out of hospital, denied bail

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — A Puna man who was shot by police on June 14 was released from the hospital yesterday and immediately charged with six felony counts and ordered held without bail.

The man was identified identified as Keola Nathen Kanae, 29, of Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision outside of Kea'au.

Kanae was shot by an unnamed police officer June 14 during what police say was a kidnapping and carjacking. During the confrontation, Kanae's companion Shaun "Mika" Thompson, 20, of Ainaloa subdivision died of a self-inflicted wound to the head from a sawed-off rifle, police said.

Police said Thompson shot himself twice, that the first shot was just a superficial face wound and the second shot was a wound to the head that killed him.

Assistant Police Chief Wendell Paiva yesterday said the police investigation "indicated Kanae was unarmed at the time he was shot."

"Both Thompson and Kanae were well known to police," said Paiva.

Police said Thompson had been arrested and charged 34 times as an adult. Paiva said yesterday that Kanae was on probation for conviction of first-degree terroristic threatening.

Last night Kanae was in the Hilo police cellblock. He is expected to be arraigned today in District Court on two counts of kidnapping, two of first-degree terroristic threatening and two of using a firearm during a felony.

Police have not named the four officers involved or the two carjacking victims, a 64-year-old woman driver and a 65-year-old male passenger.

Police said that shortly after Thompson shot himself in the back seat of the car, a police officer shot Kanae. The officer was described as an 11-year veteran. The officer has been on paid leave since the shooting.