(RepublicanInformer.com)- An armed standoff at a hotel in Hawaii ended early Sunday morning when the suspect in the case killed himself.
According to police in Honolulu, Hawaii, the man barricaded himself inside his hotel room. The armed standoff lasted more than 10 hours.
The man was staying at the Kahala Hotel and Resort in Honolulu. On Saturday at 5:40 p.m. local time, Honolulu police first got a call about shots fired at the hotel.
Police Captain Brian Lynch told a local TV affiliate that five shots were fired from inside a guest room, located on the fourth floor of the hotel. When hotel security responded to the room, the suspect fired shots through the door of one of the hotel’s rooms.
Police arrived on the scene at that point, and negotiators tried to communicate with the man, who was holed up inside his room.
According to Lynch, 18 police officers from the local department responded to the scene. They immediately started evacuating guests from not just adjoining rooms to the man’s, but also all guests who were on the fourth floor.
Police also asked that all other guests as well as staff members of the hotel shelter-in-place. Many social media posts showed hundreds of people located inside the grand ballroom at the resort.
The male suspect was alone in his room. When police arrived, it was unclear whether he had other family with him staying at the resort.
While the incident was ongoing, the resort put out a statement that read:
“This evening, an individual with a firearm barricaded himself in one of the guest rooms at The Kahala. Our security personnel and law enforcement have evacuated guests and employees from the immediate area and everyone is sheltering in place.
“We ask that the public refrain from entering the area surrounding the hotel at this time. We will provide further updates as they become available.”
Members of the Honolulu police SWAT team entered the man’s room at 3:30 a.m. local time. When they entered, they found the man dead in his room. He apparently shot himself, police said.
No other injuries were reported by police at the scene.
Earlier on Saturday, as the incident was still considered an active shooter investigation, rumors began to swirl that the suspect in the room was believed to be in the military. It was believed that the man, who was confirmed as a guest at the hotel, might be stationed on Oahu.
Later on Sunday, the U.S. Pacific Submarine Force confirmed that the suspect served in the Navy. A spokesperson for the Submarine Force released a statement that said:
“We can confirm that a Sailor assigned to the Pacific Submarine Force is deceased. We are deeply saddened by the loss of a shipmate. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the Sailor’s family and friends.
“Each member of our Navy team is important; this is a tragic loss to our Force and Navy Family. We live and work here, and we appreciate the support of law enforcement and the community.”
The man’s name has not yet been released.
