The Medical Examiner’s office found that the man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Updated: This story has been updated with additional details on the cause and manner of death. The man’s identify has not been released.

A man holding another man hostage in a pickup truck died in a confrontation with police at the Hawaii Polo Academy grounds at Mokuleia Friday.

It remains unclear whether the man shot himself or police did, Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said at a press conference Friday afternoon.

“I believe they did everything they could to deescalate the situation,” he said.

The hostage was not harmed, but police arrested him for an unrelated drug offense, Logan said.

Police investigate after the hostage situation in Mokuleia left a man dead. (Hawaii News Now/2023)

There were signs that the two men knew each other but their relationship is unclear.

A patrol officer was responding to a weapons call at Kaena Point around 9:45 a.m. when a white pickup truck sped by in the opposite direction and then through a gate onto the Hawaii Polo Club field, Logan said.

The driver then pointed a handgun at himself, the passenger and police, and then fired at the ocean, the sky and the ground.

Altogether he fired 10 or more rounds.

The driver at one point live-streamed from inside the truck to social media, Hawaii News Now reported.

The driver asked police for water and cigarettes, Logan said.

Around 12:10 p.m. the driver released the passenger from the truck to get water.

Officers from the Specialized Services Division, or SWAT, intervened by driving an armored vehicle between the truck and the passenger. Two officers got out of the vehicle, known as a BearCat, and approached the driver.

“Hearing a gunshot, both officers engaged the suspect at that time, and the suspect died from one or more gunshots,” Logan said. Each officer fired three or four rounds, he said.

Logan said an autopsy is underway to determine whether the man shot himself or police did.

Police will not identify the man until they notify his next of kin.

The patrol officers who responded to the scene likely have body camera footage of some of the incident, Logan said.

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