Roads reopened, power restored to gutted Diamond Head neighborhood
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Police officers talk to a woman at the intersection of Pono Moi Road and Diamond Head Road.
COURTESY HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Officers Tiffany Enriquez, left, and Kaulike Kalama in an undated photo. Enriquez and Kalama were killed Sunday while responding to a call.
UPDATE: 10 p.m.
As of 7:35 p.m., Hawaiian Electric crews completed repairs and restored power to residential customers on Hibiscus Drive and surrounding streets.
UPDATE: 5 p.m.
Law enforcement this evening pulled down the crime scene tape that has surrounded Hibiscus Drive since Sunday, when a landlord tenant dispute left four dead, including two police officers; one woman injured; and ended with a fire that destroyed seven homes.
Some residents and Hawaiian Electric Co. workers were finally allowed to access the community around 4:30 p.m. today. HECO plans to work throughout tonight restoring power to about 40 homes along Hibiscus Drive and four other nearby streets.
Hawaiian Electric spokeswoman Shannon Tangonan said, “When it happened, the police asked us to cut the power, mainly to prevent the spread of fire. We weren’t able to go back into the area until today. Our plan is to work throughout the night to restore power to the community.”
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As many as 20 HECO employees have been deployed to the area, which aside from their efforts remains mostly quiet.
Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said today that Diamond Head Road and Hibiscus Drive was reopened.
“Residents, who have homes that are habitable will be allowed to move back,” she said. “The streets are being reopened. But we will continue our investigation.”
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The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed today the causes of death for police officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama were gunshot wounds.
The medical examiner’s office ruled the manner of death for both Enriquez, 38, and Kalama, 34, as a homicide, according to a city news release.
The officers were fatally shot when they responded to a woman’s 911 call for help at 3015 Hibiscus Drive at a Diamond Head neighborhood Sunday morning.
A landlord-tenant dispute between Lois Cain, 77, and her tenant, Jerry “Jarda” Hanel, 69, turned violent when Hanel allegedly assaulted Cain, another tenant and then shot and killed Enriquez and Kalama.
A raging fire broke out at the home, destroying the residence and six neighboring homes.
Court records show Cain had recently filed to evict Hanel.
Honolulu police found two sets of human remains Tuesday at 3015 Hibiscus Drive.
The medical examiner’s office said positive identification may take several weeks.
Cain and Hanel are believed to have been inside the residence when the home erupted in flames after the shooting.
