Hawaii island police are investigating what appears to be a bullet hole in the door of the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea’s summit.
Officers responded late Saturday to a report of damage to the observatory and opened a first-degree reckless endangering case and a second-degree criminal property damage investigation.
Police said the damage occurred sometime between Friday evening and Saturday evening.
The director of the Subaru Telescope, Nobuo Arimoto, issued this statement Sunday:
“In the evening of Saturday, June 6, 2015, what appears to be a bullet hole was discovered on one of the side doors of the Subaru Telescope’s building on Maunakea. The diameter of the hole is about 9 mm (3⁄8 inches). At the time of discovery, there was no stranger or vehicle. It was not known when this had happened nor who did it. Maunakea rangers and the police were notified. Late night of June 6, police started the investigation and the Subaru Telescope is in full cooperation with the law enforcement.
"Since safety of the personnel working on site is the utmost concern, all the doors were secured while the night shift staffs are monitoring the webcams for any unusual activities outside. When the staff work outside, they will be vigilant in catching any sign of unusual activities in the premises and will ensure their own safety accordingly. If there is any further development, work schedule at the summit facility will be modified."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call officer Nelson Cacho at 961-2213 or police at the nonemergency line at 935-3311. Anonymous tips can be made to 961-8300.
News of the incident was met with dismay by the Mauna Kea Hui, which has been involved in peaceful protests against the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
"The Mauna Kea Hui was shocked to hear that a firearm was discharged in the heavenly realms of Mauna Kea, since all firearms are prohibited on Mauna Kea under our own protocol and especially under the Kapu Aloha," said hui spokeswoman Kealoha Pisciotta, referring to a code of conduct adopted by TMT protesters.
"It is with great urgency that we urge the police to follow up on their investigation and we will cooperate with the police in any way we can on this matter."
UCLA astronomer Mark Morris told colleagues by email that the hole made his tour of the telescope "more exciting than one might have expected, or wanted," adding, "The veneer of civility on the TMT issue seems to be dissipating."
Meanwhile the standoff continues between the TMT and those trying to stop construction.
More than 70 days have passed since trailers loaded with heavy equipment ascended Mauna Kea to build one of the world’s largest telescopes, an event that was shortly followed by protests that brought the $1.4 billion project to a halt.
A small group of protesters maintains a presence outside the Mauna Kea visitor center, waiting for the day TMT builders return, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports. Above them, security guards patrol the construction site on the mountain’s summit.
Many protesters are Native Hawaiians who consider Mauna Kea sacred.
The TMT has so far not announced plans to resume the work.
The Subaru Telescope, one of 13 at or near the summit, is Japan’s premier optical-infrared telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan as an open-use facility, meaning any researcher in the world can submit a proposal to observe. A committee determines which proposals have the most scientific merit and are best suited for Subaru.
The telescope, which opened in 1999 after seven years of construction, is also one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced.
"Subaru" is the Japanese word for the constellation Pleiades, also called the Seven Sisters, or Makalii in Hawaiian.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
