Two officers’ use of deadly force in 2020 shooting was justified, investigation finds
The investigation looked into whether two Honolulu police officers were in the right to open fire at a suspect.
By Shanila Kabir
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KANEOHE, Hawaii (KITV) — Two Honolulu Police officers who opened fire on a wanted suspect in Kaneohe two years ago will not face criminal charges.
The Honolulu Prosecutor’s office released the results of its investigation into the deadly 2020 shooting on Thursday. Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said the department’s independent investigation found the officers were justified in using deadly force.
At the time, 45-tear-old Cailen Gentzler was wanted on a parole warrant. When officers tried to arrest him at the Ho’okipa Apartments in Kaneohe, they said he ran and tried to drive off in the Jeep.
“The two officers were standing to the side of the Jeep at the time and then the Jeep reverses back in a sweeping motion, right towards them. They both had to move out of the way to avoid getting hit,” Alm said.
The officers fired a total of five gunshots. One of those shots struck Gentzler in the head, killing him.
Gentzler had a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1999 and also had 23 traffic-related convictions. Although it was declared the officers were within their rights to use deadly force, a resident at the apartment who claimed to be an eyewitness to the shooting disagrees. She told KITV4 the officers acted out of line.
“The car rolled back, so his legs must’ve still been on the gas pedals when he was shot and it took them almost five minutes to get the driver side door open. They pulled him out from the passenger side, so they prevented a lot of time when it came to potential medical work,” said the resident, who asked to remain anonymous.
The resident also told KITV4 that Gentzler was not living in the apartment complex at the time, but his family members were. She said she found it odd that officers tried to serve his warrant there.
Alm pointed back to the rules people who are on probation and parole adhere to. He said incidents like this can be avoided when you comply with officers and turn yourself in when you do break the rules.
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