Four Honolulu police officers will not be charged in the shooting that killed a man who barricaded himself in a Waikīkī condo and brandished what appeared to be a gun at officers in July 2024, Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said in a press conference on Wednesday.

It turned out that the weapon was a replica Glock designed to shoot only BB-type projectiles, but police at the time had no way of knowing that, Alm said.

Alm has made it his policy to investigate all officer-involved shootings on Oʻahu, but his office rarely files charges against the police involved. The elected prosecutor, however, has made a practice of explaining his reasoning in deciding whether to charge officers. 

Eric Walsh, 56, was a suspect in three bank robberies across Oʻahu the month he was killed. When Honolulu police officers attempted to make contact with Walsh on July 18 to convince him to surrender, Walsh instead barricaded himself in the condo on the 10th floor for about six hours. 

Throughout the standoff, officers heard Walsh racking a gun several times inside the condo, according to Alm. He repeatedly challenged officers to confront him. “I’m not putting this gun down,” Walsh yelled, according to prosecutors. “Come in here and get me!” 

When Walsh emerged into the hallway about 4 a.m., he was pointing what appeared to be a Glock at the officers. Four members of HPD’s Specialized Services Division fired 15 shots that killed Walsh.

The officers were justified in their actions, Alm said. 

“They tried for hours to get Mr. Walsh to give up without success, and yet again, this looks like another suicide by cop,” Alm said. 

The Standoff

Walsh had a long criminal history with 27 felony convictions for theft, identity theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle, among other things. 

He was the suspect in a string of robberies at American Savings Bank branches in Kāneʻohe and Kailua and a Commonwealth Business Bank in Pearl City in the first few weeks of July. Surveillance footage from these robberies shows a man prosecutors say is Walsh handing tellers a note and leaving with a stack of money. In total, these robberies amounted to almost $13,000. 

On the afternoon of July 18, officers determined that Walsh was staying with his girlfriend at a condo in Waikīkī near Liliʻuokalani Avenue on Ala Wai Blvd. After speaking to residents of the building, officers determined Walsh was in unit 1004, along with the resident of that unit. 

That resident left the apartment before the barricade started and told police that Walsh was armed with a black and silver gun.  

Officers from the Specialized Services Division arrived at about 9 p.m. and set up two teams in the hallway and the stairwell. Sniper units took up position on the balcony of the apartment building across the street. 

Police attempted to contact Walsh multiple times throughout the hours-long standoff, but he did not answer a cell phone they put outside the door of the apartment. Twice, police flew a drone in an attempt to get a look inside the apartment, but it was too dark to see him. Snipers stationed at the balcony saw Walsh standing at the window pointing a gun at the drone. 

Around 1:45 a.m., officers forced open the condo’s door and sent a robot equipped with video known as the Dragon Runner into the entryway.

At about 3:50 a.m., officers fired tear gas into the unit. About 10 minutes later, Walsh came into the hallway pointing what appeared to be a pistol at officers at the end of the hallway. He ignored repeated commands to drop the weapon as he walked toward officers, according to Alm.

Four members of HPD’s Specialized Services Division fired 15 shots that hit Walsh in the torso, arm, legs and scrotum. Officers in this division do not wear body cameras.

“If he wasn’t arrested, then he could have caused harm to others,” Alm said.  

According to Alm, officers were unaware at the time of the shooting that the gun was not real. When police later tested the weapon, it did not fire, Alm said.  

“But it sure sounded like the real thing,” Alm said.

The prosecutor said these realistic-looking replicas put people at risk because they can easily be mistaken for the real thing. 

A toxicology report by the Medical Examiner found that Walsh had methamphetamine, amphetamine and cocaine in his system at the time of his death. 

“It’s sad that he didn’t get the help that he needed and forced the HPD officers to take the actions that they did,” he said.

Walsh’s case had remarkable similarities with another police shooting in Waikīkī in Dec. 2022, Alm said. Benjamin Moralez, 48, had barricaded himself in a hotel room at Ohia Waikīkī Studio Suites for several hours, shooting multiple rounds out of the window. Officers shot him in the hallway after he refused to drop the gun.