Police seek witnesses to officer-involved shooting connected with manhunt for attempted murder suspect

Big Island police are asking the public if anyone who was in the vicinity of and might have witnessed the events that took place March 10 during an officer-involved shooting in Kona connected with the five-day manhunt around the island for attempted murder suspect Ronald Kahihikolo.

At 9:05 a.m. March 10, plainclothes detectives with the Hawai‘i Police Department Area II Vice Section were near the intersection of Palani Road and Kamakaeha Avenue in Kona. They had received information that 44-year-old Kahihikolo, an Ocean View man accused of shooting his girlfriend in the head with a shotgun last week and subject of multiple bench warrants, was in the Kona area in the company of individuals who were in possession of two stolen vehicles, a silver Chevy Malibu and a white Dodge sedan.

As the detectives canvassed the area, they spotted the Malibu as it was traveling southbound on Kamakaeha Avenue. As the Malibu came to a stop at the intersection with Palani Road, the detectives attempted to contact the vehicle’s driver, identified as 32-year-old Kainoa Kahele-Bishop of Kailua-Kona, and his passenger, 26-year-old Jacqueline Keana‘aina of Kailua-Kona, Kahele-Bishop ignored commands to show police his hands and began reaching for an object.

Fearing for their safety, two detectives discharged their duty weapons, police said.

Kahele-Bishop then drove the vehicle across all lanes of Palani Road and about 10 feet down an embankment before coming to a stop. The detectives ran toward the car, and seeing Kahele-Bishop was injured, immediately began administering life-saving measures. Kahele-Bishop died at the scene, according to police.

A police detective also sustained minor injuries and received first aid at the scene. Keana‘aina suffered minor injuries in the traffic crash. She was treated at the scene and arrested for an outstanding warrant.

As the shooting incident was occurring, the white Dodge sedan, thought to be driven by Kahihikolo, was seen traveling north toward Waimea. Kahihikolo abandoned the vehicle less than two hours later in the area near the 40-mile marker of Highway 19 in Hāmākua.

Following the extensive five-day multi-agency search for Kahihikolo by land and air that included the Police Department’s Special Response Team and K9 scent-detection dogs and air assets from Hawaiʻi Fire Department, as well as assistance from FBI personnel, he was arrested Saturday in the same vicinity where he abandoned the Dodge sedan.

Kahihikolo and Keana‘aina each now face a litany of charges. Police are continuing to investigate these incidents.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Jason Foxworthy of the Area II Criminal Investigation Section at 808-326-4646, ext. 281, or via email at Jason.Foxworthy@hawaiicounty.gov. You can also call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.

Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 808-961-8300.