Kauai police chief acknowledges failures in hunt for murder suspect
LIHUE (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kauai Police Department leaders faced tough questions from the north shore community over their handling of the multiday manhunt for murder suspect William “Billy” Sinclair.
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Authorities are also addressing rumors that Sinclair could be tied to another death in the area.
A community meeting last Tuesday stirred tensions as residents called out leaders. They were frustrated over how the manhunt for Sinclair played out, along with the opportunities that were missed to stop him.
“It takes stepping up, getting the best investigators in the country to come here and teach people,” one Kilauea resident said angrily as he walked out of the meeting.
Many people pointed out that it was previously reported that Sinclair had firearms, despite his felony convictions.
“Where is the protection? I like know,” another passionate resident said. “Every night I had gunshots firing past my head when I sleeping.”
Kauai Police Chief Rudy Tai responded in a one-on-one interview with Hawaii News Now the next day.
“We failed on a few things. We should have been more aware of what was going on in that community,” Chief Tai said.
During the meeting, KPD Assistant Chief Darren Rose said since 2020, Sinclair was mentioned in 24 police reports, yet only one of them said a gun was seen. Others only speculated Sinclair had a firearm.
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KPD said legally, they needed more probable cause to obtain a search warrant of Sinclair’s home.
“Getting a search warrant to go into the sanctity of somebody’s house is not an easy thing. It takes more than somebody saying ‘I saw somebody with a gun.’ Unfortunately, it takes more than that,” Rose said.
Residents also raised accusations that Sinclair was possibly tied to the sudden death of a neighbor back in late May. However, KPD said evidence suggested otherwise.
“That case was investigated thoroughly. There is nothing there to support foul play. The family knows the cause of death, and I think it’s for them to share if they want to what the cause of death is,” Rose added.
HNN made contact with that person’s sister who initially provided details, but after multiple requests for an interview, we didn’t hear back.
Still, residents feel there were missteps in the investigation.
“I think a lot of times people talk about, or assume that things occurred. But in reality, we go by the evidence and we go by the reports, and we did meet with the family already,” Tai said.
After the feedback, Chief Tai said he knows strengthening community relationships is key in the long run.
“[We] heard them very loudly and we’re gonna come up with better ways on how we can communicate,” he added.
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