Hawaii Island police have issued a formal announcement regarding the charges against a 47-year-old man from Pahoa, following an intense and prolonged standoff that took place earlier this week. The suspect, Jameel Comier, was involved in an eight-hour-long deadlock with the authorities.
According to a press release dated November 30th from the Hawaii Island Police Department, multiple charges were made against Jameel Comier. These included promoting a dangerous drug in the second degree on two counts, carrying or using a firearm while committing a separate felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia. These charges came about as a result of an intense standoff with police forces on November 28th. As of now, Comier's bail has been set at $101,000. He has remained in custody since his arrest on the day of the incident. His first court appearance is scheduled for December 1st in South Hilo District Court.
Local media outlet KITV reported that during the standoff period, police advised members of the public to avoid the area as it was cordoned off around 8:30 am - two hours into the tense situation. Emergency medical services and fire crews were also present on-site.
The situation intensified when Comier allegedly started issuing threats against the police force on site. Given these circumstances, law enforcement established a perimeter and advised some local residents to evacuate their homes as part of safety measures. Upon arrival of the Special Response Team (the department’s SWAT team) along with crisis negotiators at around 2 p.m., it took almost eight hours to persuade Comier to give himself up peacefully. This information comes directly from another press release by Hawaii Island Police.
Comier was subsequently taken into custody and transported to Hilo Medical Center due to complaints related to a pre-existing health condition. He was later transferred to East Hawaii Detention Facility where he continues to remain incarcerated. A subsequent search operation carried out at his residence led to the recovery of two semi-automatic pistols and an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine. Fortunately, no one was harmed during the standoff.