Posted on: Monday, June 21, 2004

EDITORIAL
Mayor Wright gunfire poses policing issues

A fugitive has been killed in a hail of gunfire at Mayor Wright Homes in Palama, while a man with him and a police officer were wounded.

This is not business as usual — not in Hawai'i. We expect a thorough investigation.

To be sure, every indication was that the fugitive who was killed, identified by officers at the scene as Gordon Morse, aka Scott Pakele, was a dangerous and wanted man.

There's little doubt that Deputy Chief Glen Kajiyama is correct in saying "the use of deadly force appears justified, and our officers responded as they are trained to do." Bystanders told Advertiser reporters they saw Morse, instead of raising his hands as ordered, draw a gun and fire on officers, including Ermie Barrago Jr., a 20-year police veteran, who was wounded.

We're gratified, of course, to hear that Barrago is expected to recover fully.

It's important to learn whether this fusillade of bullets — frighteningly dangerous in such a densely crowded neighborhood — could have been anticipated and handled differently, or handled elsewhere. It's important to know, for instance, whether it was anticipated that Morse might be armed.

Could police, instead of responding in force to the tip they had received, have put Morse under surveillance until he moved to a place where a collar could be handled in relative safety? Or was there information known to police that made quick response imperative?

Be assured that we're not attempting to be Monday-morning quarterbacks here. These are technical questions for law enforcement professionals to address. But a credible investigation, made public in a timely manner, is essential.

A broader question for O'ahu's law enforcement community is whether aspects of this incident may indicate that attention to the Weed & Seed Program in the Kalihi-Palama neighborhood may have slipped.

That question arose recently with complaints from Chinatown merchants of blatant sales of illegal drugs in the area of Nu'uanu and Pauahi streets.

Now we have two people accused of harboring Morse, reportedly each with 15 felony convictions.

The Weed & Seed Program has worked wonders in this neighborhood in an era when law enforcement triumphs are in short supply. Let's not get complacent.