HPD Identifies Woman Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting

The Hawaiʻi Island Police Department has identified the woman shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting that occurred on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, off Beach Road in the Hawaiian Beaches area of the Puna District. She is identified as 26-year-old Ashley Elisna Grammer of Hilo.

Ashley Elisna Grammer. HPD photo.

At about 1 a.m., police were checking on a vehicle, later determined to be stolen, when the driver suddenly reversed backward and began continuously ramming the police SUV with such force it initially knocked one officer out of the vehicle. Three officers fired shots, resulting in the death of the woman.  The officers have 7-years, 3-years and under 1-year of service with the department.

As is standard practice in any police-involved shooting, the Police Department’s Area I Criminal Investigation Section is conducting a criminal investigation into the shooting and the Office of Professional Standards is conducting an administrative investigation. An autopsy to determine the exact cause of death is pending.

Police ask anyone with any information about this incident to call the Police Departments non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or contact Detective William Brown at (808) 961-2384 or via email at [email protected]. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.