2 Honolulu officers killed, 7 Diamond Head homes destroyed as man’s eviction leads to mayhem

Two Honolulu police officers are dead, one woman was injured, two other women are missing, and seven Diamond Head homes were destroyed after a man who was being evicted allegedly stabbed a Hibiscus Drive homeowner, shot at responding officers, and started a fire that quickly spread throughout the neighborhood this morning.

The two officers have been identified as Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama, each had less than 10 years on the force.

Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard, choking back tears, offered condolences to their families. “The HPD ohana grieves along with you and shares your loss,” she said at a news conference this evening at HPD’s headquarters.

The suspect, 69-year-old Jerry J. Hanel, is presumed dead inside the home at 3015 Hibiscus Drive, but police have yet to recover his body, Ballard said. HPD continues an active search for Hanel until his body is recovered, she said.

Ballard said two woman who police believe were in the Hibiscus Drive home are “unaccounted for” as well.

The chaos began at about 9 a.m. when police were called to the Hibiscus Drive home owned by 77-year-old Lois Cain and found a woman with stab wounds in her legs.

Court records show Cain had filed to evict Hanel on Wednesday.

Ballard said Hanel opened fire on three responding officers, hitting Enriquez first then Kalama. No other officers were injured.

Enriquez, a 7-year HPD veteran, was the mother of three children. Kalama was a 9-year HPD veteran.

In a statement, Gov. David Ige said, “Our entire state mourns the loss of two Honolulu Police officers killed in the line of duty this morning. As we express our condolences to their families, friends and colleagues, let us also come together to help and support those who have been forever changed by this tragedy.”

Mayor Kirk Caldwell tweeted: “I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two officers as well as the entire Honolulu Police Department. This is an unprecedented tragedy for not only the City and County of Honolulu but the entire state of Hawaii.”

All the victims were taken to the Queen’s Medical Center.

The officers were wearing bullet-proof vests but were struck above the vests, Ballard said. She said that Hanel did not have any gun permits.

Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves said that seven homes were destroyed and many others damaged by the fire that spread quickly.

Firefighters were delayed from battling the fire as ammunition inside the home was being set off by the fire, and the area was deemed unsafe for first responders, Neves and Ballard said.

Neves said the fires were extinguished hours later and fire officials are now investigating.

City officials said none of the residents displaced by the fire have checked into the Waikiki Elementary shelter, choosing instead to stay with friends and relatives. Officials did not have an immediate estimate for the number of residents displaced.

The fire sent some neighbors scrambling from their homes while others further from the fire were told by police to stay in their homes because of the danger of the exploding ammunition.

>> See more photos from the scene of today’s shooting

Witness Ian Felix was on the way to work with his mother this morning near the base of Diamond Head when he spotted an injured woman who was stabbed in the leg.

“The lady was already bleeding a lot,” he said.

About 10 officers were on the scene when Felix applied a tourniquet on the woman to help stop the bleeding. Ballard said she believed the woman was in stable condition.

Hanel’s attorney Jonathan Burge told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the 69-year-old from the Czech Republic suffered from mental problems and repeated conflicts with neighbors.

“But this is shocking,” Burge said. “I didn’t think he was capable of such extreme violence.”

Burge said his client had a history of mental issues, was paranoid and believed the FBI and the Secret Service were tracking him. He barricaded himself in the downstairs space where he lived in the Hibiscus Drive house in 2015 when police came to arrest him on charges he assaulted a neighbor.

Court records indicate that at least three neighbors had filed restraining orders against Hanel. The man was accused of pushing one of those neighbors and he was charged with assault. Burge said Hanel was acquitted.

But Burge said Hanel and his landlady had been on friendly terms for years and she even supported him in his court disputes.

Hanel lived in the house in exchange for maintenance work.

But the relationship may have soured after Hanel’s dog died a year or so ago and he wasn’t allowed to get a new one, the attorney said.

What’s more, the landowner was moving back to Hawaii and Hanel was told he’d have to move. But Hanel wouldn’t go, according to a suit filed by homeowner Cain.

Not only did he refuse to leave but he was causing “beyond normal wear and tear” to the house, the suit said.

Burge said he was to represent Hanel in court Tuesday on a charge that he falsely called 911. Burge said Hanel was convinced people were using drugs at a nearby location. The police investigated and rejected the claim, but the man kept calling, resulting in the charge.

“We were planning to go to trial,” the attorney said.

Neighbor Stephany Sofos, a Hawaii real estate analyst, described Hanel as a handyman who had been acting strange lately. Sofos said the homeowner was downstairs talking to him when Hanel went berserk.

Another tenant in the home went to see what was going on, and she was screaming, according to a video posted on Sofos Facebook page.

Sofos said she was walking her three dogs when she heard screaming. She saw one of the home’s tenants bleeding and went to help, but a policeman told her to back away.

“I was trapped across the street behind a rock wall,” she said.

Fire erupted from the home, and the intensity of fire grew and, as other homes caught fire, she was ordered by police to back away some more.

Ammunition was still going off as Sofos was making a Facebook video.

“What a terrible situation in our quiet neighborhood,” Sofos said. “It’s just a really a sad situation. Let’s all be good to each other. This is not a good thing.”

As the fire spread across about a dozen homes, the city opened its Emergency Operations Center in the early afternoon, and the Red Cross responded to help the displaced.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

5:40 p.m.

The two officers who were killed today have been identified as Tiffany-Victoria Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama, both of whom had less than 10 years each on the force, Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard said at a news conference.

Ballard, choking back tears, offered condolences to their families. “The HPD ohana grieves along with you and shares your loss,” she said.

The officers were shot by Jerry Hanel outside the Hibiscus Drive address after to responding to a woman’s call for help.

She also said that Hanel and two females are “unaccounted for” after the massive fire that destroyed seven homes and damaged several others. Hanel is presumed dead inside the 3015 Hibiscus Drive home. The two females were known to be residents of the Hibiscus Drive home where today’s ordeal began.

While Ballard acknowledged that it’s likely the suspected died in the fire, there is still an active search for him.

Enriquez, a 7-year HPD veteran, was the mother of three children. Kalama was a 9-year HPD veteran.

The woman who made the initial call was taken to the hospital with stab wounds to her leg, Ballard said.

She said that Hanel did not have any gun permits.

Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves said the fire has been extinguished and fire officials are now investigating.

City officials said none of the residents displaced by the fire have checked into the Waikiki Elementary shelter, choosing instead to stay with friends and relatives. Officials did not have an estimate for the number of residents displaced.

UPDATE: 5:10 p.m.

HPD is holding a press conference now on today’s shooting.

5 p.m.

A shelter has been opened at Waikiki Elementary at 3710 Leahi Ave. for any residents displaced by the incident at Hibiscus Drive, city officials said.‬

4:15 p.m.

Honolulu police, fire and city officials plan to hold a news conference at 5 p.m. to discuss today’s fatal shooting of two officers and massive fire in a Diamond Head neighborhood.

The suspect has been identified as 69-year-old Jaroslav “Jarda” Hanel. He was being evicted from the home at 3015 Hibiscus Drive when he allegedly attacked his landlady, fired on responding officers and started a fire that tore through the neighborhood, destroying or damaging about a dozen homes.

Property owner Lois Cain had filed an eviction notice against Hanel on Jan. 15. The filing said he did not have a rental agreement and refused to vacate.

Neighbors have identified Cain, 77, as the woman whom Hanel attacked today. They said she was trying to evict him.

2:27 p.m.

Witness Ian Felix was on the way to work with his mom earlier this morning near the base of Diamond Head when he spotted an injured woman who was stabbed in the leg.

“The lady was already bleeding a lot,” he said. “Probably she’s around 70.”

About 10 officers were on the scene when Felix applied a tourniquet on the woman to help stop the bleeding.

Two Honolulu police officers were killed today.

1:45 p.m.

Jerry J. Hanel, the 69-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of two Honolulu police officers and the massive neighborhood fire in Diamond Head, was slated to go to trial for misuse of the 911 emergency telephone service, court records show.

Police are not conducting a manhunt and have told Hibiscus Drive neighbors that Hanel is likely dead inside one of the burned houses.

Hanel, who was arrested for allegedly committing the misdemeanor crime on May 28, had pleaded not guilty to the charge. While making a false complaint or reporting false information to 911 is only a misdemeanor, the charge is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

According to court records, he was expected to go to trial in October in Circuit Court but that was postponed until Jan. 27.

Court records show Hanel has had a troubled past, especially in getting along with other people. From 2014 to 2018, seven temporary restraining orders filed were against him by four individuals, including at least one from a resident of 3007 Hibiscus Drive.

In 2018, he also sought two restraining orders, including one against a 3007 Hibiscus Drive resident.

In the misuse of May 911 complaint, Hanel’s address is listed as 3015 Hibiscus Drive; which is where today’s chaotic events reportedly began.

One of the complaints lists his birthdate as May 22, 1950, and describes him as a 6 foot European male, weighting 180 pounds.

1:18 p.m.

The suspect who allegedly attacked his landlady, shot and killed two police officers, and started the fire that has torched a Diamond Head neighborhood has been identified as Jerry Hanel, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser has learned.

Honolulu police have not given any details about the condition or whereabouts of Hanel, whose nickname is “Jarda” and who is in his 60s.

The landlady has been identified as Lois Cain by neighbors.

12:48 p.m.

The City and County of Honolulu has opened its Emergency Operations Center due to the shootings and fires in the Diamond Head area.

“The Emergency Operations Center will be providing support to first responders, and has representatives from the Honolulu Police Department, Honolulu Fire Department, Honolulu Emergency Services Department, and the American Red Cross in house. The EOC will be assisting with the coordination of shelter, along with evacuation of individuals whose homes may be affected by fires in the Diamond Head Area,” a city statement said.

12:45 p.m

Gov. David Ige issued a statement about today’s fatal shooting of two Honolulu police officers: “Our entire state mourns the loss of two Honolulu Police officers killed in the line of duty this morning. As we express our condolences to their families, friends and colleagues, let us also come together to help and support those who have been forever changed by this tragedy.”

12:37 p.m.

A gas leak has been reported on Hibiscus Drive where two Honolulu police officers were shot and multiple houses are on fire. The Gas Co. is expected to turn the gas off in the area.

12:01 p.m

A total of 12 homes have been affected by the fire on Hibiscus Drive so far with at least five homes are a total loss.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Two Honolulu police were fatally shot on Hibiscus Drive at the base of Diamond Head this morning, and firefighters are battling multiple house fires in the area.

Officers responding to an assault call at 3015 Hibiscus Drive apparently encountered a male with a firearm, who then opened fire, striking two officers.

Witnesses saw one officer, a female, being carried unconscious from the scene.

HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu confirmed two officers were injured this morning, but did not provide further details.

A source told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the officers died and Councilwoman Kym Pine released a statement confirming the deaths, saying, “My prayers and thoughts are with the families of the Honolulu Police Department officers who were killed and all who were injured during the Diamond Head incident today — my heart aches for all who are involved.”

Honolulu Council member Tommy Waters also confirmed the death of two officers. “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of two of our officers and I pray that no other officers are hurt.”

Waters said he and Honolulu City Council Chairman and Presiding Officer Ikaika Anderson spoke today about the incident and pledged their support to the Honolulu Police Department.

“We will talk to Chief Ballard and ask her what they need. We know we need more officers clearly, but what else does she need?”

Police have closed Kalakaua Avenue and Paki Avenue near Kapiolani Park, along with Diamond Head Road near Hibiscus Place.

At approximately 9:45 a.m. the house — a wooden structure with two residences, one on the ground floor and one in the basement at the bottom of a steep driveway — was on fire, with black smoke visible above the treetops. The blaze has since spread to at least four neighboring homes and a parked HPD vehicle. Approximately 14 units with 50 members of the Honolulu Fire Department are on scene.

According to property records, 3015 Hibiscus Drive, a circa 1927 single-family home valued at $1.6 million, is owned by Raymond and Lois Cain.

As of 11:10 a.m., radio communications indicate live ammunition from the suspect’s house continues to explode as the fire continues to burn. Flames have also caused multiple live electrical wires to fall in the roadway.

The Honolulu Police Department’s Specialized Services Division is currently working to clear the neighborhood and locate the suspect, but no arrests have been made. The public is asked to avoid the area.

Eviction filing against Jer… by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd

Honolulu Star-Advertiser staff members Jason Genegabus, Mindy Pennybacker, Allison Schaefers, Rob Shikina, Timothy Hurley, Gordon Y.K. Pang and Jamm Aquino contributed to this report.