HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The man accused of shooting a deputy sheriff has now been charged.
The shootout set off a 15-hour standoff in the Kapahulu area that began at around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Robert Melvin Morris eventually surrendered at around midnight. He walked out with a woman, believed to be his wife.
The 49-year-old is charged with assault on a federal officer.
Morris allegedly shot a DEA task force officer in the hand as the group attempted to serve a search warrant at the home on Herbert Street.
A section of Herbert Street was still blocked off Wednesday afternoon while federal agents, state law enforcement and county police collected more evidence.
Law enforcement was still on Herbert Street Wednesday afternoon collecting evidence after a 15-hour barricade(None)
The scaled back crime scene allowed Sue Sargis to get back into her home after staying the night at a friend’s in Hawaii Kai. Sargis said she spent most of Tuesday at Kahala Mall trying to wait out the standoff.
“They kept saying, give it two hours, give it two hours. But by 8:30 or 9, I thought, I’m not going to get in my house,” Sargis said.
Another neighbor who did not want his name used described hearing the incident unfold.
“I heard glasses flying around, and right there I heard six shots,” the homeowner said.
The retired man said Specialized Services Division officers then commandeered his home. He and his wife weren’t allowed to get their car so they waited on the sidewalk with just the car keys, phone and their dog throughout the ordeal.
“The whole day I ate one spam musubi,” the man said.
One of his neighbors gave him a lawn chair to sit on, another offered bottled water, and another gave an umbrella when it started to rain.
“We were going to walk to the shelter,” but he said it was already 10 p.m. when they decided to try the half-mile walk to Paki Hale. They changed their minds and returned to the corner near their home.
“It’s dangerous. You know, we’re elderly people and that’s why I didn’t want to walk,” the man said.
Rade Vanic, Honolulu’s interim police chief, said in a statement, “High-risk situations like these often dictate that our officers take action quickly, leaving people without adequate time to prepare, and we understand that can be frustrating. However, we’re always grateful for their cooperation.”
Vanic encouraged anyone with needs to ask an officer for assistance to get to an assembly area. “An officer might have been able to arrange a ride share, or perhaps even transported him,” Vanic said.
The department conducts after-action briefings to discuss areas for improvement, he said.
The American Red Cross said seven people spent the night at Paki Hale.
Morris, has previous arrests for car theft, gun and drug crimes both on Oahu and Kauai.
Mugshot of Robert Melvin Morris in 2005 after his arrest for car theft(State of Hawaii)
Morris is at the Federal Detention Center and could face additional charges. Multiple sources said drugs were found in the Herbert Street home.
Morris’ initial appearance is set for Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
