Hawai‘i Island law enforcement is grappling with a harrowing series of violent events that began with a double shooting in Puna and culminated in the death of the suspect, Isaiah Kaleo Jiaan Fourshey, in an officer-involved shooting near Volcano's Nāmakanipaio Campground. According to initial reports disseminated via the Hawaii Police Department, Fourshey was implicated in the homicide of 25-year-old Latisha Soares, which occurred early on the morning of last Tuesday.
This tragic sequence of events began unfolding just after midnight, when police were alerted to shots being fired at a residence on Hibiscus Street, Fortunately, no individuals sustained injuries in this initial attack. As the situation escalated, Fourshey fatally shot Soares at another location on Plumeria Street. The Hawai‘i Fire Department and law enforcement officials attempted life-saving measures, but Soares was declared dead after she arrived at Hilo Benioff Medical Center.
Amidst a community in shock and an intense manhunt, an update from the Hawaii Police Department revealed that later last Tuesday, Fourshey was engaged in gunfire by police near a popular campground off Highway 11, resulting in his death. This incident, which prompts a mandatory critical incident review, has involved neither injuries to law enforcement officers nor bystanders.
In the aftermath of the shootings, two detectives from the Hawai‘i Police Department have been placed on administrative leave, a routine procedure following such critical incidents. The area surrounding the encounter has since been reopened, and the campground operation remains unaffected. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has now taken the lead on this case, owing to its occurrence within the boundaries of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Inquiries are being directed to the FBI's Honolulu office.
