Court documents paint a harrowing picture of an incident Friday in Hilo in which both a police officer and a suspect were wounded by gunfire.
The 39-year-old suspect, a fugitive, died two days later as a three-day manhunt culminated in a second gun battle between the suspect and officers in Mountain View.
The documents were used to establish probable cause for charging Christopher Lucrisia’s alleged getaway driver, 23-year-old Silas Zion of Pahoa, with being an accomplice to attempted first-degree murder, first-degree hindering of prosecution, and illegally carrying a handgun and ammunition.
Employing a rare, if not unprecedented procedure, the documents — which are prepared by police — refer to all Hawaii Police Department officers in the incident as “John Doe” followed by a numeral. The officer injured by gunfire is referred to as “John Doe 1.”
Officers who are injured by gunfire or are otherwise crime victims have in the past been identified in court documents.
The documents state that officers John Doe 1, 2, and 3 spotted Lucrisia — who was wanted on three arrest warrants, a bench warrant and “numerous be-on-the-lookout-for” bulletins for questioning — as a passenger in Zion’s white 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
The officers followed the truck, which parked in the lot of the First Hawaiian Bank Waiakea Branch adjacent to the Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Officer Doe 1, according to the documents, approached the open front window of the driver’s side of the pickup with Officer Doe 2 behind Doe 1 at the left-side rear window, which was tinted and closed, while Officer Doe 3 positioned himself at the tailgate corner on the rear passenger side of the truck.
Doe 1 reportedly saw Lucrisia shooting toward him twice, hitting his right forearm and his forehead, causing Doe 1 to fall to the ground. Doe 2, seeing Doe 1 fall, immediately dropped down for cover and to tend to Doe 1, the documents state.
Meanwhile, Doe 3, seeing Lucrisia turn and hearing the two gunshots — one which shattered the driver’s side rear window — reportedly fired three rounds through the rear passenger window at Lucrisia.
The Silverado then reversed and drove off “at a high rate of speed toward the west side of the plaza,” according to the documents. Does 2 and 3 stayed and tended to Doe 1’s injuries until medics arrived, police said. Does 2 and 3 also identified Zion as the driver of the truck.
The manhunt was on, and at about 5:30 p.m. Friday, HPD and U.S. Marshals officers found Zion hiding in brush at an Ihope Road residence in Mountain View — across the road from where Lucrisia died Sunday evening.
Zion was arrested without incident, and the truck, which had its license plates removed, was taken into evidence and a search warrant was obtained.
According to police, blood was found on the front passenger seat and seat belt, and a search turned up an empty Glock 19 case and registration to Zion for a Glock 19 9 mm pistol, live ammunition and spent bullet casings.
An iPhone 13 containing pictures of a bullet fragment in Lucrisia’s neck and upper right back, also was recovered during the search. The pictures showed a large amount of blood from the wounds.
HPD Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said Sunday night it’s not clear whether Lucrisia was killed in Sunday’s gun battle with officers, if he died of a self-inflicted gunshot, or if he bled out from Friday’s wounds.
At last report, the injured officer, a nine-year HPD veteran assigned to East Hawaii Vice section, remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.
Zion made his initial appearance Monday in Hilo District Court.
Deputy Public Defender Jared Auna told Judge Jeffrey Hawk that Auna was making a “special appearance” with Zion and the Office of Public Defender hasn’t yet decided if it will represent him as his case progresses.
“For now, we request a (preliminary hearing) within 48 hours, thank you,” Auna said.
Deputy Prosecutor Heipua Ah Loy told Hawk that she had filed a motion to hold Zion without bail.
The motion states that Zion is a flight risk, with ties outside Hawaii, including in Oregon and Texas. It also notes that being an accomplice to attempted first-degree murder is a “serious crime” carrying a penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, that there is a “serious risk” that Zion will obstruct or attempt to obstruct justice, and that he is a danger to the community.
The motion further states that “allegations contained in the complaint involve a firearm used to commit the offense of attempted murder in the first degree” — which would seem to indicate, although it is not specifically spelled out in the complaint, that Lucrisia used Zion’s handgun in Friday’s shooting.
Police said Lucrisia was armed with both a pistol and rifle during Sunday’s shootout.
Hawk ordered Zion to return to court at 2 p.m. Wednesday for a preliminary hearing and noted that the prosecution’s motion would be heard at that time.
The judge also maintained Zion’s bail at $3.073 million. Zion remains in custody at Hawaii Community Correctional Center.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
