Police arrest suspect in fatal Hilo shooting of father of 3, and in earlier alleged attempted murder case
Hawaii island police detectives have arrested a 30-year-old suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a 41-year-old father of three Friday morning, and another recent shooting that left a man critically wounded.
Police said today that they arrested Jarvis Rockwell Hung Leung Boots, of Mountain View, on Saturday after an island-wide manhunt following the early-Friday shooting at Puainako Town Center in Hilo.
Boots is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder for the Friday incident; and first-degree attempted murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder in connection with a separate Dec. 2 shooting incident, police said in a news release today.
Boots allegedly shot Benjamin Craig Davidson, 41, an employee of Puaninako Town Center, in the head and upper body early Friday morning.
South Hilo patrol officers arrived at the center shortly after 4 a.m. and discovered the fatally wounded Davidson. He was pronounced dead at Hilo Medical Center.
During their investigation, detectives also linked Boots and his vehicle to a Dec. 2 shooting near the Papaikou Transfer Station that left a 24-year-old man in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds. Another man, 50, was also shot at, but as not injured, police said.
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On Saturday, shortly before 5:30 p.m., detectives located Boots’ vehicle at a residence on North Lauko Road in Mountain View. They stopped the vehicle a short distance from the residence, and Boots, who was in the vehicle alone, was arrested.
Anyone with information on either shooting can call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311, contact Detective John Balberde at (808) 961-2386, or email him at john.balberde@hawaiicounty.gov.
Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.