The Hawaii Police Department has released bodycam footage of a Tuesday incident in which an officer shot a man armed with a knife in Hilo.
Police Chief Paul Ferreira said Wednesday that at about 4 p.m. Tuesday, an employee of a Keawe Street business reported a man cutting himself with a knife and “bleeding and screaming at himself.” The man was reportedly using a knife with a 4-inch blade.
Two officers initially responded to the incident. Bodycam footage from the incident depicts an officer — Ferreira described him as a 14-year department veteran — leaving a vehicle on Keawe Street and confronting a man near Moms Hilo.
Ferreira said the man has been identified as 41-year-old Jordan Cacatian, a man with whom he said the police have had repeated contacts.
Court records indicate a man with Cacatian’s name has repeatedly faced minor charges over the last year, including one charge of disorderly conduct filed as recently as Monday.
“Sir, put the knife down,” the officer tells Cacatian twice. The footage is blurry, and a knife is difficult to spot, but Cacatian then starts approaching the officer at a steady walking pace, leading the officer to draw a firearm and point it at the man.
The officer repeatedly shouts orders to “put the knife down” while walking backward away from Cacatian.
“Put the knife down. I will shoot you if you do not put the knife down,” the officer says. “Do you understand me? Put the knife down. Take one more step, I’m shooting you.”
During this last command, the officer stumbles during his retreat while the suspect continues advancing. The officer then fires a pair of shots, and Cacatian drops to the pavement, screaming. Ferreira said the two shots struck Cacatian in the leg.
Officers continue to shout at Cacatian, ordering him to drop the knife, but he refuses, swearing at the officers.
“F—k you. Kill me,” Cacatian says at one point.
Several officers continue to tell Cacatian to drop the knife for more than a minute, to no avail. Eventually, one of them — visible on the bodycam footage — says “drop the knife or I’m going to taze you.”
The officer then fires a taser at Cacatian, causing him to scream in pain and collapse. Officers then apprehend him and take the knife. The footage ends there.
Ferreira said medics transported Cacatian to Hilo Medical Center, adding that the initial police report mistakenly said officers and EMT administered CPR to him.
Cacatian sustained self-inflicted lacerations to both his wrists, causing nerve damage, and two gunshot wounds to his left leg, which shattered a leg bone, Ferreira said. He has been treated and is in stable condition, but remains in police custody for the offenses of first-degree terroristic threatening and first-degree assault of an officer.
The incident is still being investigated, and the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Police ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to call the police department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311 or Detective John Balberde of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at 961-2386 or John.Balberde@hawaiicounty.gov.
