Police say replica gun possibly modified
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
The pistol that a 27-year-old man is accused of drawing on a police officer Monday may be a replica gun modified to fire real bullets.
HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu yesterday confirmed that police have sent what was believed to be a replica pellet air gun to its lab to determine if it is a firearm.
Oliver Shawn Tela, 27, of Nanakuli was shot in the shoulder after he allegedly drew the pistol during a confrontation with a police officer in Kaimuki.
Investigators said the shooting took place after police responded to a minor collision involving two vehicles at 6th and Harding avenues at about 11 a.m. Monday. Tela was one of the motorists.
Police said Tela was agitated and pacing near his car. He told police his driver's license had been suspended.
An officer was doing a routine criminal background check when he was advised that Tela had a $10,000 outstanding parole-revocation warrant stemming from a robbery conviction.
According to investigators, Tela became more agitated and remarked to two officers that he was not going back to prison.
One of the officers said he used pepper spray when Tela resisted arrest. A second officer, standing 10 to15 feet away, said he fired three shots when Tela pulled a pistol from his fanny pack.
One of the shots grazed Tela in the right shoulder. He fled on foot up Harding Avenue and into a driveway across the street from Saint Patrick School, with the two officers in pursuit. Investigators are checking whether Tela fired a shot at the officers.
Police Chief Lee Donohue yesterday that said a 27-year-old officer, who joined HPD 14 months ago, fired three shots at Tela and that no other officers fired a shot.
Sister Rose Miriam Schillinger, principal of Saint Patrick School, said she heard four shots before ordering a lockdown.
Tela was captured by police at 12:10 p.m. near 1042 9th Ave. He was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, where he was treated.
He then was taken to the main police cellblock, where he was booked at 2:05 p.m. for first-degree terroristic threatening and the parole-revocation warrant.
If the pistol turns out to be a modified gun, Tela could be charged with attempted murder.
Displaying a replica gun in public also is a serious offense.
In July, Mayor Jeremy Harris signed a law that prohibits people from displaying replica guns in public or having them out in the presence of a law enforcement officer. The intent of the law is to protect officers and the public from situations that could result in serious injury.
Three previous cases involving replica guns have been reported, including one in which HPD spokeswoman Yu said police arrested two young boys outside the Waipahu Public Library.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
