A Hawaii resort went into an hour-long lockdown early Sunday after a hotel guest – presumably a local serviceman – started firing at staff through his door, police said.
According to local reports, hundreds of people were evacuated from the immediate vicinity of the Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu as of Saturday night, with many huddled in a makeshift security room in a ballroom.
Police also cleared beaches and beachside eateries after the first shot on Saturday around 6 p.m. for fear the shooter could shoot from his hotel’s balcony, officials told Hawaii News Now.
The suspect is believed to be a member of the Navy living on Oahu, and his military commander responded to the scene, where members of his family also assisted the police, the outlet said.
Police say he first shot through his door when hotel security personnel went upstairs and knocked on his door. It was not immediately clear what prompted them to go to his room.
“Fortunately, the security guard was not at the door,” Police Commissioner Brian Lynch told Hawaii News Now.
After that first shot, he later shot through the door several times while officers in the hallway called his name, with at least five shots, police told the outlet.
Negotiators continued to try to end the deadlock early on Sunday.
“Nobody is hurt. Everyone is addressed, ”Lynch told reporters on the spot. “We’re just waiting for the suspect to give up.”
The suspect allegedly stayed at the resort with family members, who were all in a safe place and not with him, as he remained barricaded in the room, officials told KITV4.
The Kahala Hotel & Resort told the station that “security personnel and law enforcement officers have evacuated guests and employees from the immediate area and that everyone is hiding on site.”
“We ask the public not to enter the hotel’s vicinity at this time,” the resort said in a statement.
Staff distributed food, blankets, and pillows to those forced to bunker in a ballroom or the lobby, Hawaii News Now said.
With pole wires