Police officer killed in struggle with fugitive

By Scott Ishikawa and Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writers

KAPOLEI — Even though police felt their suspect was a dangerous man, no one expected any problems when officers confronted Shane W. Mark yesterday afternoon in a Baskin-Robbins at Kapolei Shopping Center.

Today, amid questions and grief, they are reminded of just how dangerous their job can be.

When Officer Glen Gaspar and his partner asked Mark to come with them, the fugitive allegedly pulled a revolver from his pants, police said. Gaspar was first to react, pouncing on his suspect and wrestling him to the tile floor as several gunshots rattled the calm of the ice cream parlor.

Gaspar, a 40-year-old father of two and a decorated 12-year veteran of the police force, was fatally wounded. He died at St. Francis Medical Center-West.

Police have refused to confirm reports that Gaspar was not wearing a bulletproof vest and would not comment today on department policy regarding their use.

Other plainclothes officers with the Career Criminal Unit and a homicide detective subdued Mark, 28, moments after the 1 p.m. incident.

Mark was arrested and taken to the Kapolei police station and later to St. Francis after complaining about chest pain and hand injuries. He remains at the hospital in serious condition, a spokeswoman said today. Police expect to charge Mark tomorrow.

"Our community lost a hero," Police Chief Lee Donohue said. "This is not a good day for HPD and not a good day for Glen's family."

Police yesterday hoped to catch Mark, who was wanted on a warrant for investigation of attempted murder in connection with a Feb. 1 shooting at the Assembly of God Church at 3440 Moanalua Road. A few days after the church shooting, a police CrimeStoppers bulletin said a man was shot in the thigh during a dispute that arose over the sale of a video camera. It also described Mark as "armed and dangerous."

An informant's tip yesterday led police to the ice cream parlor.

Mark was standing with his back to a wall yesterday when police confronted him, said Capt. Alan Arita, acting major for the Criminal Investigation Division.

"They didn't want to do it outside because they wanted to avoid a shootout in the open and reduce the chances of him fleeing," Arita said.

After the officers identified themselves, Mark pulled a gun from the waistband of his pants and a scuffle began, Arita said.

"They were having a hard time gaining control because he was so strong," Arita said.

Gaspar was shot several times in the upper chest area, Arita said. An autopsy today found that he died of injuries to his heart and liver but the medical examiner would not say how many times Gaspar was shot.

At first, the three Baskin-Robins employees were unsure of what was going on.

"I thought it was a bunch of guys fighting in the store, but it wasn't just a bunch of guys," said Portia Abraham, assistant manager at the Baskin-Robbins where the shooting occurred. "One was armed."

The employees hid in the bathroom. No customers were in the store.

"We were just tripping out," Abraham said, trembling. "It all happened so quick."

Gaspar was the 37th Honolulu police officer killed in the line of duty and the first fatally shot since Troy Barboza was shot at his home by a drug dealer on Oct. 22, 1987.

At the hospital emergency room yesterday, fellow officers, family and friends quickly gathered but after several hours, police announced Gaspar had died of his wounds.

People arriving at the hospital greeted each other with tearful embraces. Uniformed officers patted each other on the backs. People talked on cell phones, and everyone wore somber expressions.

After an afternoon news conference at police headquarters, Donohue spoke with his watch officers.

"I told them that unfortunately when you take on this job, when you put on this uniform, that you may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice," Donohue said. "We know that when we take the job and accept it, but still you hope it never happens."

Under Hawai'i law, a charge of first-degree murder — the state's highest criminal charge — is brought when the victim is a law enforcement official. Conviction brings a mandatory sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.

Mark, whose last known address was in Salt Lake, is a career criminal with 14 convictions, including auto theft, burglary, theft and misdemeanor assault, according to information provided by the Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center.

Last November, he was released from the Halawa correctional facility after completing a five-year sentence for car theft and burglary.

Melanie Asuncion, manager at GNC six doors down from Baskin-Robbins, heard the shots yesterday. But it wasn't until she saw a man running, she said, that she realized what happened.

"I screamed, 'Lock the doors! Lock the doors!' " Asuncion said.

Bing Estacio, a sales clerk for Kapolei Gold Mart on the other side of Baskin-Robbins, said: "I saw only these three guys with aloha shirts going inside Baskin-Robbins. I just heard in a few minutes, pak-pak. ... I closed our doors and then got inside our office to hide."

Outside the Baskin-Robins ice cream parlor today, about two dozen flower bouquets and lei were arranged. Shop owner Larry Kee said a former classmate of Gaspar's would bless the area in the afternoon.

"I'm religious and it's a way for our employees and myself to cope with what happened," said Kee, who closed the ice cream parlor today. "It's a very tragic thing. My heart goes out to the family. We basically had a fallen hero and no matter what I say, it is not enough to express condolences to the family."

Department memorial services and private services have not yet been scheduled, Donohue said. In tribute, the HPD flag will be flown at half-staff at all police stations until after Gaspar's funeral, and officers' badges will be covered by a black mourning band.

Before yesterday, the last Hono lulu police officer killed on duty was Dannygriggs Padayao, 48, who was struck by a hit-and-run driver on April 30, 2001, as he was placing flares at the scene of a crash near Waikane.

Advertiser staff writers Catherine E. Toth and Curtis Lum contributed to this report.