Ko Olina standoff follows shooting

By Curtis Lum
and Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writers

KO OLINA — Late last night, police had cornered a gunman at the Ihilani Resort after a shooting here that left his girlfriend in serious condition.

The man had barricaded himself somewhere in the area of the Pro Bowl football practice field behind the hotel, and police negotiators were trying to talk to him.

The shooting was the result of an apparent domestic dispute, police said. It occurred about 9:01 p.m. near the resort on the Leeward Coast.

The ensuing manhunt and investigation paralyzed the area around the security gate leading to the Ihilani and the homes nearby.

Residents found the main entrance and exit on Ali'inui

Drive blocked by police cars with flashing lights. Residents were eventually able to get home by taking a roundabout route and a back gate that is normally closed.

"The place was swarming with police," said one Ko Olina resident.

Police said the argument between the man and a woman, both 21, began in a Nanakuli convenience store.

The woman got scared and jumped in a car with a friend, and they left going east on Farrington Highway.

The man chased them, and rammed into the back of their car.

They turned into Ali'inui Drive and, as they neared the security gate, the man began shooting at their vehicle. One shot hit his girlfriend in the wrist.

The two women kept driving and made it to the Ihilani lobby, where help was called.

The man drove away, but soon abandoned his car and fled on foot.

The 21-year-old victim was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious but stable condition, an ambulance official said.