HONOLULU (KHON2) — It was an anxiety-filled start to the weekend for residents in Hamakua, especially around Kalopa where the search for 44-year-old Ronald Kahihikolo, was focused around the 40-mile marker of Highway 19.

Kahihikolo was taken into police custody around 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 11.

“And so this was an absolute shock, you know, we were all very on edge for the last 24 hours,” said Kalopa resident Monique Edwards.

Council Chair Heather Kimball said she is relieved the search came to an end.

“But they were out there with dogs and you know, once the sun went down, they were able to use heat sensing technology as I understand it,” Kimball said.

According to Hawaii police, Kahihikolo had been wanted on suspicion of attempted murder following a shooting in Ocean View that sent a woman to the hospital in stable condition.

Police said on Friday that they received a tip that Kahihikolo was in Kona with several other individuals in stolen vehicles. According to authorities, one of the drivers reached for an object when detectives approached one of the vehicles.

Hawaii police said two detectives discharged their weapons out of fear for their safety and struck the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene and later identified as 32-year-old Kainoa Kahele-Bishop of Kailua-Kona.

Police said Kahihikolo was spotted in another one of the stolen vehicles driving toward Waimea, and he had last been seen on foot in lower Kalopa on Friday afternoon.

“And it was very quiet, it was a cold night, so he must have had a really cold night,” said Kalopa resident Sarah Anderson, “pretty sketchy country fences, pasture and then gulches. So yeah, it was a probably a rough night.”

Nearby residents and community leaders said they can rest easy tonight.

“We were pretty much on edge, my mom is 94 and she lives with us and she didn’t sleep last night,” Edwards said, “but we’re glad it’s over and we’re thankful that our police was here at the top of the road for the length of time that they were.”

“My biggest concern was the potential for somebody else to get hurt in a situation like this. The tensions are high, people are anxious, so I’m just really glad that he was apprehended and there was no further incident and no one else was hurt,” Kimball said.

Officials said the two detectives involved in Friday’s shooting are 25 and 13-year veterans of the force. They have been placed on administrative leave as the investigation is ongoing.