Man fatally shot at Century Center aimed loaded gun at police

A police officer with a rifle discharged three to four rounds when a 55-year-old man pointed a loaded gun at officers executing a search warrant for a drug-related investigation at the Century Center building Thursday night, Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard said.

Ballard spoke at a news conference at the Honolulu Police Department headquarters on South Beretania Street Friday to discuss the fatal shooting of the suspect that occurred shortly after 6 p.m. at a unit of the building located at 1750 Kalakaua Ave.

Officers of the Specialized Services Division executed the search warrant at the apartment that was occupied by six people — three males and three females.

Building security and residents said the unit was on the 22nd floor.

Ballard said an occupant opened the front door and officers found that a bedroom door in the apartment was locked.

“The officers were forced to break down the door and observed a male with a handgun,” Ballard said. “Despite repeated commands to drop the weapon, the suspect did not comply.”

The suspect allegedly raised the gun and pointed it at the officer, who fired three or four rounds from his rifle. Ballard said based on a preliminary investigation, the suspect was struck three times in the upper right side of his body.

Emergency Medical Services personnel treated and transported the 55-year-old man in critical condition to a hospital, where he later died.

His identity was being withheld Friday pending notification of next of kin.

There were no injuries to the five other occupants in the unit, and none of the officers were injured.

“Officers could have been shot and killed at any time because the firearm that the suspect had was loaded,” Ballard said.

The gun recovered by police, described as a Glock-type firearm, was not registered to anyone in the unit at the time nor was it reported stolen.

Ballard said HPD would contact the gun owner. No other firearms were found in the unit.

The suspect shot by the officer was the only one in the locked bedroom. Ballard said officers pulled the person who answered the door out of the unit, and the other four occupants were in other areas.

The 55-year-old man has no previous convictions in Hawaii but has a felony and misdemeanor convictions on the mainland, although Ballard did not have information on which state.

Officers of the Specialized Services Division are normally involved in drug­-related search warrants to clear the unit or building before officers of the Narcotics/Vice Division enter because “usually when drugs are involved, there’s weapons involved as well,” Ballard said.

Drugs were found in the apartment. Ballard did not have information at this time on the type of drugs recovered from the scene.

Police arrested two men — Michael K. Shapiro, described as in his early- to mid-30s, and Richard B. Mosebar, 62 — on suspicion of promoting a dangerous drug in the third-degree. Shapiro also was arrested for criminal contempt of court.

Ballard said the search warrant was executed for Mosebar.

He has a criminal record of promoting a dangerous drug in the third-degree, a felony. Mosebar was also previously convicted of prostitution, driving under the influence of an intoxicant and driving under the influence of liquor, all of which are petty misdemeanors.

Shapiro has a criminal record of one conviction for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, a petty misdemeanor.

The officer who fired his rifle is a 13-year veteran with the department and has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure.