A Hawaii resort closed for an hour early Sunday after a hotel guest – believed to be a local military man – began firing at his staff, police said.
Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the immediate vicinity of the Kahala Hotel & Resort in Honolulu since late Saturday, with many staying in a temporary security room in a ballroom, according to local reports.
Police also cleaned up the beaches and eateries on the beach after the first shot Saturday at about 6 p.m., fearing the gunman could shoot from his hotel balcony, Hawaii News Now officials said.
The suspect is believed to be a member of the navy living on Oahu, and his military commander responded to the scene, where members of his family also assisted police, the office said.
Police say he only shot through his door when the hotel security staff went up and knocked on his door. It was not immediately clear what led them to go to his room.
“Fortunately, the security guard did not stand in front of the door,” said Capt. Honolulu police officer Brian Lynch told Hawaii News Now.
After the first shot, he later shot through the door several times while officers in the hallway called his name, with at least five shots, police told the office.
Negotiators continued to end the strike early Sunday.
“No one was injured. Everyone is taken into account, “Lynch told reporters at the scene. “We are just waiting for the suspect to give up.”
The suspect allegedly stayed with family members in the resort, all of whom were in a safe place and not with him as he was barricading himself in the room, officials told KITV4.
The Kahala Hotel & Resort told the station that “security personnel and law enforcement officers have evacuated guests and employees from the immediate area and are all hiding.”
“We ask that the public not enter the area around the hotel at this time,” the resort said in a statement.
Staff handed out food, blankets and pillows to those forced to bunker in a ballroom or foyer, Hawaii News Now said.
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