By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Police investigators work at the scene of a police shooting
at Puu O Mahuka Heiau in Pupukea.
‘Why did they
shoot?’ family asks
The man shot yesterday
By Rod Ohira
by a police officer in Pupukea
'posed no threat,' uncle says
Star-BulletinFamily members of Fortunato Barques III, who was critically injured after being shot by a Honolulu police officer yesterday in Pupukea, prayed for his recovery while criticizing the patrol officer who shot him in the back.
"Why did they shoot?" said the man's uncle, Michael Barques. "Why did they shoot him in the back - two times? He was just going to his land; he was walking away.
"They had not justification to shoot him. He posed no threat to (the officer)."
Heeia resident Fortunato Barques III, 37, was shot when he reached for his .40-caliber handgun after repeatedly disobeying orders to halt during a traffic stop on a private road at Puu O Mahuka Heiau at 12:31 p.m., police said.
He was listed in critical condition at Queen's Hospital, but family members said he is improving.
The shooting was the third this year by Honolulu Police Department officers. The other two occurred in housing projects.
The officer, 36, who has been with the department since 1992, has been placed on paid administration leave while Internal Affairs investigates the shooting.
Internal Affairs Lt. Gregory Poole said the officer was approaching the heiau parking lot, overlooking Waimea Bay, when he noticed suspicious behavior.
Patrol units have been checking the heiau more often because of a recent series of thefts from autos.
Eleven break-ins have been reported at the heiau parking lot since March 24, said Police Chief Lee Donohue.
The officer reportedly saw a man walking between parked cars before entering a purple Chevrolet Blazer, and decided to stop the vehicle.
The officer parked his patrol cruiser across the two-lane roadway and ordered the man and his female passenger out of the vehicle, Poole said.
The passenger got out of the vehicle and obeyed the officer's order to lie down.
The driver, however, came out through the passenger-side door and crossed the roadway before jumping over a 4-foot-high wire fence, Poole said.
The officer, walking on the roadway parallel to the man, followed him to a private dirt road and repeatedly ordered him to stop.
Michael Barques said his nephew leases the farmland near the road. "He was being hassled," Michael Barques said. "He was looking for a horse on a private road and told the officer, 'Don't come on my land.' He was just conducting business. It was a routine day."
As the man began walking up the road, the officer noticed he was armed.
"The wind blew his flannel shirt open, and the officer saw a shoulder holster," Poole said.
The officer was about 10-12 feet behind when the man stopped. He fired twice when the man reached for his weapon, Poole said.
Whether Fortunato Barques III turned or moved toward the officer is still under investigation.
Police spokeswoman Jean Motoyama said the department cannot comment on the family's questions and concerns until the investigation is completed.
Police recovered a .40-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun at the scene.
"I don't know if he was armed, but if he was, it would be for self-protection," Michael Barques said.
"He used to work for (a rental company) in Waipahu, and he told me a lot of people threatened him when he went to get stuff back that was rented out but never returned. He was a boxer, but I know after he got threatened, he talked about carrying a piece."
Two other shootings involving officers occurred in January:
Benedict "Tiki" Manupule, 18, was shot to death after firing on an off-duty officer New Year's Day at Mayor Wright Housing. Prosecutors determined the shooting was justified.
Officers opened fire as Laulusa allegedly approached them while holding two long fishing knives.
The prosecutor's office is still reviewing the case.
Of the three shootings, Donohue said there's nothing that shows a pattern or trend.
"We want to avoid violence," Donohue added.
"It's tough on the officers. I'm sure it's tough on the person and his family."
Star-Bulletin reporter Harold Morse
contributed to this report.
