Tragedy at Diamond Head Raises Questions About State’s Attentiveness to Mental Health
Courtesy of KITV Johnathan Burge
Jerry Hanel and Officer Enriquez (center) back in May 28, 2019, after his misuse of the 911 emergency service
What transpired in the Diamond Head area on January 19th has shaken up the community, citizens still in shock of such a severe tragedy being so close to home.
The Honolulu Police Department said that everything began with the eviction notice for Jerry Hanel, who lived in a house on Hibiscus Drive. After Lois Cain, the home’s owner, sought to confront and evict Hanel that Sunday morning, HPD said that he refused to sign it – soon stabbing another tenant, opening fire to officers arriving on scene, and setting the house ablaze. The flames quickly spread to properties nearby and caused firefighters to struggle to gain entry to the place amongst police investigation. Additionally, two officers were shot amidst the chaos: Officer Tiffany Enriquez, a seven-year veteran, and Officer Kaulike Kalama, a nine-year veteran.
Court documents display that 69-year-old Jerry Hanel had four TRO violations against him and was due in court on Tuesday, January 21st on a false 911-call charge. According to Hanel’s lawyer, Jonathan Burge, Hanel had serious mental health issues.
“He thought the secret service and government were tapping his phones – would come into his house and tap him. That kind of thing. He didn’t have cell phones for that reason. He was a little bit of a weird guy, but you would never expect he’d do what he did today,” says Burge on an interview with KITV4 Islands News.
Rebecca Atkinson, a neighbor who lives near the incident, shared her experience with Hanel in an interview with KHON2 News. Like other neighbors, Atkinson filed a Temporary Restraining Order on Hanel. “People said he was maybe paranoid or schizophrenic. He was doing harmless things, but it all adds up to harassment. So, I wanted to have a restraining order in place.”
The news about Hanel has prompted residents to question the resiliency behind TROs and mental health check-ups. Why wasn’t Hanel being closely observed, having four TROs against him? Could this have been avoided, had things regarding his mental health been different? Police Chief Susan Ballard spoke about this matter on Hawaii News Now. “I think more than anything else we have more issues with mental illness,” Chief Ballard said. “We have to be able to track [people] but also get them the services they need.”
Currently, lawmakers want to look at mental health red-flag bills. A bill by Senator Karl Rhoads gives judges a choice to refer a defendant to do a mental health assessment, including TRO cases.
“If you’re mentally ill you are going to go to a facility. You’re going to get the help that you need because obviously you cannot make those decisions on your own,” Chief Ballard said. “I know it sounds tough, but I think it’s time for tough love now.”
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Aloha! My name is Gisele Bisch, and I'm from the North Shore. Now a senior this year, I am delighted to say that this is my second year of being a staff member in Ka Mō'ī! I have a profound interest in sustainability, nutrition, drawing and painting, and social justice. As a staff member of Ka Mō'ī, I am fortunate to be able to utilize my student-voice and participate in discussions regarding these and other issues.
Kanoe Igarashi • Feb 16, 2020 at 4:28 pm
I feel that this tragic event is a wake up call for the state of Hawaii. Mental health issues can often go unnoticed or disregarded in children, especially in high school teenagers. I would like to see mental health support implemented in schools to help keiki so that events like this can be prevented in the future.
Hiia • Feb 6, 2020 at 3:16 pm
I wholeheartedly agree that this is an issue in Hawaii. This is primarily due to the fact that is very hard for someone to get admitted into mental wards. This is because Hawaiian mental health laws are very loose with someone needing to be either a threat to others or themselves to be submitted.
Kealohi Chu • Feb 5, 2020 at 9:21 pm
I believe that after this tragedy, more should be done with people who have mental health issues. I always see people in Kaneohe from the mental hospital wandering around. The gates at the mental hospital are always wide open for them to walk through. More needs to be done to protect citizens and get the necessary help people need.