2 Honolulu police officers were killed in a shooting as a nearby house burned
At least two Honolulu police officers were reportedly shot in a fiery incident on the southeast end of the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
The officers were taken to a nearby hospital in extremely critical condition and both died in the hours following the incident, law enforcement sources told Hawaii News Now.
Local outlets reported that the deadly scene started with an attempted eviction that devolved into a stabbing before police were involved in a shooting.
Videos of the scene near the Diamond Head area show several police cars gathered near at least one massive fire as shots rang out.
At least two Honolulu police officers were reportedly shot and killed Sunday morning on the southeast end of the Hawaiian island, according to multiple local reports.
Hawaii News Now reported that at least four homes in the Diamond Head area of the island were destroyed in a fire in that spread amid a shooting. The outlet added that police identified the suspect as Jerry Hanel, who is believed to have died.
The deadly scene started with an attempted eviction, according to HNN.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that officers had responded to reports of an assault around 9:30 a.m. when they encountered a gunman who opened fire.
Law enforcement sources told that after firefighters and police responded to a reported stabbing around 9:30 a.m. local time.
After a shooting broke out, two officers were taken to a nearby hospital in extremely critical condition and later died.
As gunshots rang out, videos of the scene showed a massive fire that reportedly spread from one house to three others, devastating the homes.
Hawaii News Now added that after a shooting was reported, the home believed to be the scene of the incident went up in flames as gunshots rang out either inside or near the house and several vehicles appeared to also be on fire.
A video posted to YouTube by Hawaii's Star-Advertiser shows a cluster of police cars with shots ringing out in the direction of a house that appears to be on fire.
A picture posted on Twitter by local reporter TJ Horgan showed thick smoke could be seen from a distance. Horgan also wrote that according to the local police scanner, three houses were on fire.
—TJ Horgan (@TJHorganTV) January 19, 2020
The FBI told CNN that the agency was responding to the situation.
The area where the incident occurred is popular with tourists looking to visit landmarks like Waikiki Beach, the Honolulu Zoo, and the Diamond Head State Monument.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell wrote on Twitter that it was "an unprecedented tragedy" for locals and Hawaiians, and his office was in touch with police about the ongoing investigation into the incident.
—Kirk Caldwell (@MayorKirkHNL) January 19, 2020
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