Maui police had tried to get services for shooting victim

The Maui Police Department released body-worn camera footage from the officers who shot and killed a man armed with a 2-foot-long machete on Molokai and urged the community not to threaten the officers who fired the fatal shots.

The two-minute, 56- second-long clip shows two officers ordering Nathaniel Naki, 40, of Kaunakakai to drop the machete he is carrying after police respond to a report of a temporary restraining order violation near mile marker 18.5 off Kamehameha V Highway in Wailua, Molokai.

“Don’t, don’t don’t, don’t do it. … Put it down now,” yells the officer wearing the body-worn camera that captured the footage. “Nathaniel, I don’t want to kill you today.”

“I not going die,” replies Naki.

The footage released by MPD does not show the moment Naki was shot and killed. Naki died at Molokai General Hospital.

At a news conference Tuesday, police said that at about 7:17 a.m. Sunday a family member of Naki’s called for help enforcing a temporary restraining order against Naki at an address near mile marker 18.5. The caller told police that Naki was on “private property and acting disorderly,” according to Maui Assistant Chief Keola Tom, and officers arrived on-scene at 7:41 a.m.

Officers found Naki near the address reported by the caller, and when one of the officers got out of their patrol car, Naki moved toward him carrying the machete. One officer attempted to use a Tazer on Naki, but there “was no effect,” according to Tom.

“Both officers instructed Mr. Naki over 70 times to drop the machete and approximately 29 times to ‘move back,’” said Tom, speaking during Tuesday’s news conference.

Naki advanced until he got within about “two arms’ length” of the officers. Both officers almost “simultaneously” discharged their weapons. Tom said there is body-worn camera footage that MPD is not releasing that shows the officers rendering aid and calling for emergency medical attention.

An off-duty Maui firefighter also stopped, identified himself to officers at the scene and helped them try to save Naki, Tom said.

One of the officers involved in the shooting had tried to get Naki critical social services on prior occasions, Maui police Chief John Pelletier said during Tuesday’s news conference. Pelle­tier described how officers are being forced more and more to deal with serious mental health and substance abuse issues when responding to calls for service.

“MPD holds the value and sanctity of human life at the highest level. … Lifesaving measures were administered,” said Pelletier. “We understand that we have a family who is grieving the loss of a loved one. There are no winners in critical incidents, and we all pay a price. Our officers did not wake up that morning with the intent to harm anyone. Those officers, by choice, are members of the Molokai community. Their lives are forever affected as well. For them, their families and their children to be threatened or intimidated is wrong. It is the suspect’s actions that dictate an officer’s response.”

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave as standard procedure.

“Our officers were called to enforce a restraining order that prohibited the subject from being on the property at the request of his family due to previous incidents,” said Robert Cavaco, president of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers. “Our officers continuously attempted to verbally get the subject to disarm himself of the 24-inch machete, utilized a Taser with no effect, and tried to maintain distance. Unfortunately, the subject continued to advance upon our officers while still armed with a machete, causing them to justifiably discharge their firearms, striking the subject to protect themselves, the individuals protected by the restraining order, and the public. This is a tragedy because our officers worked professionally to peacefully take the subject into custody. Unfortunately, he did not give them that opportunity.”