State briefs for April 4

Woman shot by officer sues HPD

HONOLULU (AP) — A woman who was shot by an off-duty Honolulu police officer filed a federal lawsuit alleging the officer’s supervisors knew the officer had drinking and emotional problems but failed to take steps to prevent him from carrying a firearm.

Hyun Ju Park, 42, was working as a bartender and manager at a sports bar in April 2015 when a round fired from Officer Anson Kimura’s handgun struck her in the stomach. She was hospitalized in serious condition.

Police said the shooting was accidental and placed Kimura, 58, on restricted duty while investigations were underway. The officer retired about a month after the shooting before any investigations were completed.

Kimura’s lawyer said his client was checking his department-approved personal firearm to see if it was loaded when the gun went off.

Kimura later pleaded guilty to assault and recklessly causing serious bodily injury and spent two months behind bars. He also was sentenced to four years of probation.

Park’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday, says the Honolulu Police Department failed to immediately discipline Kimura and the other officers he was drinking with at the time of the shooting. It also points to a department policy that prohibits officers from handling firearms when they are drinking.

Safety concerns prompt move for monk seal

HONOLULU (AP) — State and federal officials moved a Hawaiian monk seal on Kauai because of safety concerns for the animal.

Officials determined the 10-month-old monk seal was at risk living in the Lihi canal in Kapaa, where two other juvenile seas died in 2014 and 2016.

Necropsies conducted on those seals determined they drowned and fishing gear was the most likely cause. Seals likely are attracted to the canal by fish scraps illegally left by fishermen.

The monk seal that recently was moved was fitted with a tracking device before being released. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state Department of Land and Natural Resources assisted in moving the seal to safety.