Search for Kona shooter still ongoing

The police search for a Kona man suspected in a shooting incident that hospitalized a woman on Wednesday.

The search for 41-year-old Walter Gomes III began Wednesday, when a woman was taken to Kona Community Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. After police located Gomes Thursday morning, he fled in his vehicle, striking a police vehicle in the process.

The search moved to North Kohala Thursday, where the suspect was seen in his vehicle and refused to surrender. A police pursuit of Gomes led to the closure of roads and evacuation of residents in Hawi.

Officers fired at the suspect vehicle on two occasions before the pursuit ended when the suspect collided with a police vehicle. The suspect then abandoned his vehicle and fled into the dense brush and has not yet been located.

Gomes was last seen wearing a blue hoodie-type top and camouflage-patterned cargo shorts. He stands at 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighs 182 pounds, has buzzed brown hair, brown eyes and an unshaven face.

Residents are advised to not contact the suspect directly, as he is considered armed and dangerous. Instead, the public is urged to report any sighting of Gomes or any other information about the incidents to the Police nonemergency number at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300.