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Christopher Lucrisia
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Silas Zion
A Hawaii island police are conducting an islandwide search for two men after an officer was shot today at a bank near the Prince Kuhio Plaza shopping center in Hilo, and then later airlifted to Oahu and transported to The Queen’s Medical Center where the officer was in serious but stable condition from a head injury.
Hawaii Police Department officials said shortly before noon that the suspect is a 39-year-old man named Christopher Lucrisia who fled the scene as a passenger in a white Chevy pickup truck after allegedly shooting the officer twice.
Police officers later believed Lucrisia was on foot in a Hilo neighborhood in the vicinity of Manono and Leilani Streets, and advised the public to avoid the area and contact police if they see Lucrisia, who is described as 5 feet 10 inches and 250 pounds, with green eyes and black hair.
By 3 p.m., the department announced that police had completed their search of homes in the Hilo neighborhood, and that their search had been expanded islandwide.
Around 4 p.m., police said they were also looking for 23-year-old Silas Zion of Pahoa, who is wanted for attempted murder as part of today’s shooting.
According to police, Zion is the driver of the getaway pickup truck in which Lucrisia was a passenger.
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Zion is described as 5 feet 6, 110 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.
Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said the wounded officer, who is assigned to the East Hawaii Vice Section, was in serious condition, according to the Hawaii Tribune Herald. He was taken to Hilo Benioff Medical Center before being airlifted to Oahu.
“He has a head injury,” Moszkowicz said shortly after noon. “He’s awake, he’s alert.”
According to Moszkowicz, police received information that Lucrisia, who was wanted, was near the bank. Without any prior conversation, Lucrisia shot at least twice and hit the officer, Moszkowicz said.
The chief said another officer returned fire, but it’s not known whether or not the suspect was hit.
This morning’s shooting was at the First Hawaiian Bank near Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Moszkowicz said the house-by-house search of homes in the Waiakea Houselots area for Lucrisia “did not pan out.”
“We were not able to locate the suspect there,” he said. “He’s still at large, whereabouts unknown, so the search has been expanded, islandwide.”
The public is reminded not to approach Lucrisia, who is considered armed and dangerous, or Zion.
The Hawaii Tribune-Herald contributed to this report.
