(UPDATE) Hawaiʻi Island police have arrested a 31-year-old Hilo man in connection with a shooting Wednesday evening that injured two officers.
Shortly before 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a team of 20 law enforcement officers attempted to contact the suspect, 31-year-old Keaka D. Martin of Hilo, at a home on East Palai Street in Hilo. In addition to Hawaiʻi Police Department officers, the team included two Sheriff’s deputies and three FBI agents.
Keaka Martin
When the officers arrived, they heard a single gunshot from inside the house. They entered the residence and found Martin with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.
He was arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted first-degree murder and taken to Hilo Medical Center under police custody for treatment of his critical injuries.
Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section are continuing the attempted murder investigation.
On Wednesday evening (January 2) at 7:44 p.m., police responded to a report of several gunshots heard in the area of Kilauea Avenue near the Wailoa River in Hilo.
At approximately 8:52 p.m., while checking parked vehicles in the area of the 800 block of Kilauea Avenue, officers observed a man hiding under a parked vehicle. Upon approaching him, both officers were fired upon and sustained gunshot injuries. One of the officers was able to return fire. The suspect was able to flee the area on foot and it is unknown at this time whether he sustained any injury as a result of the shooting.
Both officers remain at Hilo Medical Center in stable condition.
Police ask that anyone who has any information about the Wednesday night incident call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Detective Grant Todd at 961-2385. Persons may also email Detective Todd at gtodd@co.hawaii.hi.us.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona 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.
Filed under: Announcements, Big Island, Hawaii, Legal, Rumors | Tagged: CrimeStoppers, Keaka Daniel Kaneala Martin, Keaka Martin, Wailoa River State Recreation Area | 1 Comment »
Is Your Cat in Heat? Here’s Your Fix
Even though warm weather is a constant here on Hawaii Island, Hawaii Island Humane Society (HIHS) wants you to “beat the heat” by spaying your cat in advance of her heat cycle and preventing unwanted litters from being born this Spring.
As with other animal shelters nationwide, spring time is commonly referred to as “kitten season” by HIHS because that is when they receive the largest influx numbers of unwanted litters that are difficult to adopt.
To help reduce the number of homeless cats born this spring, Hawaii Island Humane Society is offering a special “Beat the Heat” promotion sponsored by PetSmart Charities®. In February, HIHS will spay/neuter 50 female cats for a special rate of $20.
Spaying and neutering is one of the most effective ways to reduce the homeless pet population. While some worry that their pet may be too young for this procedure, spaying and neutering is safe for kittens as young as eight to 10 weeks old, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Spaying a female cat before the first heat cycle is actually beneficial, rather than waiting until after one heat cycle has occurred. The procedure is known to improve the health of the pet, including a reduced risk of certain reproductive cancers and infections.
“Female cats can have as many as three litters a year, and kittens can breed as young as four months old,” says Donna Whitaker, executive director at Hawaii Island Humane Society. “Most people don’t want to see their cat get pregnant over and over again, so hopefully our “Beat the Heat” campaign will serve as a gentle reminder to cat owners to sterilize their cats before they go into heat and become pregnant this year.”
This special rate, subject to availability, is even less than HIHS’s normal low-cost spay/neuter coupons and is available to residents of Hawaii County. Cat parents who wish to take advantage of this offer must mention the “Beat the Heat” promotion when they schedule their appointment.
Thanks to the PetSmart Charities grant, this special rate of $20 is available to the first 50 domestic cat owners who sign up between January 16 and 31 any HIHS shelter. Surgery appointments will be made for February. Twenty-five surgeries will be allocated to cat owners in the Keaau area and five in Ocean View where residents should purchase their coupon at Ocean View Alii Veterinary Clinic. Fifteen surgeries will be available to cat owners in Kona and five to owners in Waimea. A waitlist will be created in the case of no-shows.
Cat owners are reminded that HIHS also sells reduced-cost spay/neuter coupons that are accepted by many island veterinarians. Male cat neuter coupons are $30 and female cat spay coupons are $60, which is nearly half what you’d otherwise pay. Please visit HIHS.org or call 329-1175 or our Spay/Neuter Hotline at 987-7208 for more information.
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Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Big Island, Environment, Guest Commentator, Hawaii, Sustainable Living | Tagged: Cat, Cat's in Heat, Neuter, PetSmart | Leave a comment »