Police Deputy Chief Glen Kajiyama last night would not confirm the identity of the dead man, but officers at the scene said the man was Gordon Morse, aka Scott Pakele. Police had been searching for Morse since April 30 when he failed to return to the Laumaka work furlough program.

Police said Morse, 32, was the driver of a stolen pickup truck that dragged an officer May 21 on Round Top Drive, the first in a series of chases, carjackings and auto thefts in the Makiki area that day.

Kajiyama said police received a tip at about 4:45 p.m. that Morse was at Mayor Wright housing. At about 5 p.m., plainclothes officers knocked on the door of a third-floor apartment where Morse was believed to be, and identified themselves as police.

Kajiyama said officers at the rear of the building saw three men climb out of a window and lower themselves to a second-floor ledge. The officers ordered the men to put their hands up, but one of the men climbed into a second-floor window, while the other men stayed on the ledge.

One of the men, believed to be Morse, drew a gun and pointed it in the direction of the officers, Kajiyama said. It was then that the shootout began.

One witness said the two men did not follow police orders.

She said one of the men had his hands tucked into his pants. The officers told him to put his hands up, but he wouldn't, she said.

"All of a sudden, that one guy just starting shooting," said Manipon, who was watching from the parking lot of her building. "He aimed his gun down and just starting firing. Then the cops retaliated."

Steven Rodrigues said he was cooking dinner at his Mayor Wright unit when his children told him there were "plenty cops outside." He said he ordered the children into the home while he checked what was going on.

Rodrigues also said the gunman refused to drop his weapon and fired the first shots.

"When I seen them shoot the guy, that was a good 20 shots, like firecrackers or a machine gun. They were just unloading," Rodrigues said.

Kajiyama said the other man, 19, was shot, but his condition was not available last night.

A 35-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, who police said lives in the third-floor apartment, were arrested on suspicion of hindering prosecution. Kajiyama said neither was injured and each has 15 felony convictions.

Kajiyama said an investigation into the shooting is under way, but he indicated that the officers were justified in firing at the men.

"At this time the use of deadly force appears justified and our officers responded as they are trained to do," he said. "We are extremely grateful that none of our officers was seriously injured."

Kajiyama said the officers "used sound police tactics in approaching the suspect."

Residents began pouring from their homes and apartments after hearing what many thought were firecrackers.

Mayor Wright Homes residents began pouring out of their units when they heard the gunfire, which many mistook for firecrackers.

Police gather at the complex where a man was shot to death and an officer was wounded. Another man was taken to the hospital. Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

The dead man's body was covered with a blanket after the shooting and rested on the ledge as police investigated. Morse had six felony convictions for burglary, robbery and auto theft, and police had described him as dangerous.

Violet Barroga, the police officer's mother, said she was relieved her son was alive.

According to Barroga, an emergency room doctor said her son was expected to make a complete recovery but the officer had also been injured during a fall and would need to stay at the hospital under observation.

While many residents said that the area, in particular Mayor Wright Homes, has been notorious for crime and drugs, some thought the community was improving, especially with the introduction of the Weed & Seed program in 1998.

Before the program, Pua Lane, next to Mayor Wright Homes, had a crime rate that was among the highest in the city.

When the program was implemented in the Kalihi/ Palama/ Chinatown area — the first location for Weed & Seed — crime dropped 70 percent, said Bernie Young, chairwoman of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board.

"I was really surprised to hear about (the shooting yesterday)," said Young, who has lived in Kalihi for about 40 years. "(Weed & Seed) has been awfully effective, and we're so glad they're in the area. I'm really shocked to hear about this."

Manipon, who serves as association president for Banyan Gardens, has been living in Palama for 18 years.

"It's really not as bad as it used to be," she said. "I cannot remember the last time (there was a shooting). This is a rare occasion."

Lin Abraham said she fears for the safety of her 51-year-old sister and 74-year-old mother who live in the apartment building next to the one where the shooting occurred yesterday.

In the two years they've lived there, their apartment was robbed three times, Abraham said. The last time, about a month ago, "they cleaned it out," she said. "Every (piece of) jewelry, every handbag. Everything. They just wiped them out."

She hopes that yesterday's violence will bring attention to the area, which is in dire need of help, she said.

"They should really clean up this place," she said.

"This is bad."