Updated at 9:40 p.m., Saturday, September 1, 2007
Big Isle shooting suspect killed in crash same day, police say
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i County police have concluded that the suspect in a fatal Puna shooting in June died in a car crash on the same day, detectives in Hilo reported.Police said 45-year-old Noel Smith died in a one-car auto accident in North Kohala on June 19.
He is believed to be responsible for the shooting death earlier that day of Jeremy Napoleon, 28, of Puna.
A gun recovered at the scene of Smith's accident on Akoni Pule Highway in North Kohala has been linked to the Puna shooting, police said.
Although the suspect is dead, detectives submitted the results of the completed investigation to prosecutors in Hilo this week for review. The action is not uncommon in such cases, police said.
