Officer involved in fatal shooting is back on Waikiki patrol duty

The police officer who fatally shot a 52-year-old Manoa man in Waikiki has returned to patrol duty in Waikiki.

Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said the officer, who has served six years with HPD, was placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard procedure, after the July 30 shooting that left Richard Nelson dead.

Nelson tried to flee in his car on Kuhio Avenue after the officer spotted an open alcoholic beverage container in the vehicle. Nelson rear-ended a city bus. Police said Nelson also nearly struck the officer with his car and could have hit pedestrians, prompting police to open an attempted-murder investigation.

The officer has since been restored to full duty, Yu said Tuesday, but she did not say exactly when he returned.

An internal HPD investigation continues into the shooting by the officer.

His age and identification are kept confidential, which is HPD’s practice due to privacy concerns, Yu said.

Nelson died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, the Medical Examiner’s Office said. His blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit of 0.08.

Farmers, group seek to intervene in GMO lawsuit

HILO »Three organic farmers on Hawaii island and a national group against genetically modified crops are asking to help Hawaii County defend itself in a federal lawsuit.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Tuesday that the Center for Food Safety and the farmers filed a motion last week to intervene in the case in U.S. District Court in Honolulu.

The lawsuit is challenging a county law that would ban open-air use and testing of modified crops, with exceptions for farmers who are already growing them. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Several groups, including florists, banana and papaya growers, and ranchers, filed the lawsuit in June. They argue that the ban is not allowed under state and federal law. They say there are no findings that the crops are harmful.

The farmers looking to intervene in the lawsuit say they should be able to grow unmodified crops without the risk of cross-pollination.

The Center for Food Safety, based in Washington, D.C., is also helping Kauai County defend its own law on genetically modified foods.

Blaze guts 1 of 2 bedrooms in Maui cottage

About one-third of a cottage was destroyed in a fire Tuesday morning in Nahiku, according to Maui County firefighters.

Shortly before 8 a.m. firefighters received a report of smoke at the cottage in upper Nahiku, a small community near the 28-mile marker along the Hana Highway on Maui’s east coast.

At the scene, firefighters spotted heavy smoke and flames in the one-story, two-bedroom cottage. The fire was contained to one of the bedrooms.

Damage was estimated at $6,600.