This article is more than 7 months old

This article is more than 7 months old

Two police officers were fatally shot on Sunday by a man who authorities believe later died in his home after he set it on fire in a quiet neighborhood not far from Oahu’s busy Waikiki beach, officials and local media said.

A third officer was reportedly injured.

The fire spread and destroyed several houses in an affluent area at the far end of Waikiki beach, between the Honolulu Zoo and the famed Diamond Head state monument.

“Our entire state mourns the loss of two Honolulu police officers killed in the line of duty this morning,” Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, said.

Honolulu’s mayor, Kirk Caldwell, called the shootings “an unprecedented tragedy”.

The officers were met with gunfire and the suspect then set fire to the home, which spread to other houses, Hawaii News Now reported. Police believe the suspect died when the house went up in flames, it said.

Pictures posted by local media showed smoke coming from several houses in the neighborhood.

Some residents said they smelled smoke before hearing gunshots.

“A little bit before 10 we started smelling some smoke,” said Robert Brassfield.

“We were in our condominium which is just across the street here, and we didn’t think much about it, so we walked downstairs and went outside to go on down to Waikiki and obviously we started noticed all the emergency vehicles responding and then we started hearing sporadic gunshots.

“That went on for several minutes.”

The Honolulu fire department fought the blaze.

No arrests have been made. Police closed several streets and the public was asked to avoid the area.