Hawaii County police and fire officials were in agreement Monday that a bicyclist apparently struck and killed by an on-duty police officer early Sunday morning was not involved in a hit-and-run.
Assistant Chief Paul Kealoha, who oversees West Hawaii operations, said the 6:25 a.m. call reporting the collision was “right within the time frame of the accident.”
“We are not investigating a hit-and-run,” said Kealoha, who said the investigation is ongoing and will take some time to complete.
“We do have one of our own arrested,” he added.
The accident was initially reported by the Hawaii County Fire Department as a “possible vehicle versus bicyclist hit-and-run,” said Acting Battalion Chief John Whitman. The report noted that Hawaii Police Department was already at the scene.
“It was reported as a possible hit-and-run because no other vehicle appeared to be involved,” Whitman said. “It might have left some confusion.”
The bicyclist, identified by police as Jeffrey C. Sunow, 63, was found lying face down near a “severely damaged” bicycle on the shoulder of the eastbound lane of Waikoloa Road, near mile marker 11, according to fire department personnel who responded about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. The rescue personnel determined that the West Bloomfield, Mich., man had died prior to their arrival and handed the investigation over to police.
The officer has been identified as 30-year-old Jody Buddemeyer, according to police. He was arrested on suspicion of negligent homicide and subsequently released pending further investigation.
The officer, who was assigned to the department’s South Kohala District, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an administrative investigation by the Office of Professional Standards, according to police. The investigation is standard practice in any officer-involved fatality, police noted.
The eastbound lane of Waikoloa Road was closed for several hours while police investigated the fatality.
