A Kalihi patrol officer could face five years in jail and a $10,000 fine if convicted of reckless endangerment for allegedly firing more than three dozen shots from two pistols and a rifle into the air on New Year's Eve.

Roosevelt Blanco, 37, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree reckless endangerment, a Class C felony, at 12:35 a.m. on New Year's Day after police responded to a 911 call of a man shooting multiple guns from a Waipahu home. Police would not say whose house it is.

Blanco, who has been a police officer for three years, was released at 12:31 p.m. on New Year's Day on his own recognizance.

He has lost all of his police powers and has been assigned to desk duty while Internal Affairs conducts an internal and administrative investigation, said Honolulu Police Department spokesman Capt. Frank Fujii.

Blanco is still getting paid, but he's doing clerical work and wearing civilian clothing, Fujii said.

"We've impounded the van where we believe the weapons are and we're putting together a search warrant today," Fujii said. "We're concerned any time anyone does something to put the public at risk. The fact that it was a police officer is disappointing."

Fujii said it's too early in the investigation to say if drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident, or if the firearms were police issued.

He said that Blanco's reinstatement to patrol duties depends on what the investigation finds. If the rifle was an automatic or if any of the guns fired were tampered with, Blanco could face additional federal as well as state charges.

"Initial reports are that he fired a handgun as well as a rifle into the air," Fujii said. "I don't know why he was discharging the weapons. Right now, it's too early in the investigation to answer those questions."

Reach Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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