Hawaii
3 women killed, gunman dead in Hawaii after dispute between neighbors leads to gunfire
Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting at a home stemming from a dispute between neighbors on Saturday night in Hawaii, police said. The shooter was also fatally shot by a resident, who was arrested on a second-degree murder charge.
Witnesses reported that a 58-year-old man was using a front-end loader to ram cars into the home where a family gathering was taking place, then opened fire at people gathered in the carport, fatally shooting three women at the residence in Waianae, a community about 30 miles west of downtown Honolulu, Honolulu police detective Lt. Deena Thoemmes said at a news conference.
At some point, a 42-year-old man who lived in the home fatally shot the suspect with a handgun, she said at a news conference. A police spokesperson did not immediately respond to a telephone message or an email asking for details about why the resident was arrested.
The women who were killed were 34, 36 and 29, Thoemmes said. A 31-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were taken to the hospital in critical condition, she said.
The suspect, who was not identified, had four 55-gallon drums containing an unknown fuel in the front-end loader, Thoemmes said. Witnesses reported that he fired rounds into them but police have not confirmed that yet, she said.
The shootings are the latest of several shootings in recent weeks in the area that have led to police to pledge to work to fight gun violence, Police Chief Joe Logan said at the news conference. But he said Saturday’s shootings were not related to the earlier ones. He suggested it would be difficult for police to prevent such a targeted act stemming from a dispute unless someone reached out earlier.
“There have been several incidents in the previous months and weeks, but this incident is not related to those. This incident happened as a result of neighbors. So I want to reassure the public that this is not a random act, but a targeted one,” Logan said.
Prior to this incident, there had been three shootings in Waianae in a span of about a week, HawaiiNewsNow reported.
Logan previously said there would be an increased law enforcement presence in the area, the station reported.
“The Honolulu Police Department is increasing, providing more resources in the areas of patrol and plain clothes,” Logan said. “We’ll be working with our federal partners, to saturate the area and to patrol the area in greater numbers.”
Three convicted sex offenders were arrested on Hawaii Island last week for allegedly failing to comply with sex offender registry requirements.
Multiple law-enforcement agencies conducted checks in Kona on registered sex offenders who had been identified as potentially out of compliance with the state’s Sex Offender Registry laws, according the Department of the Attorney General.
As a result of the three-day operation, several individuals were brought back into compliance, and three West Hawaii men were arrested for allegedly failing to comply with the requirements.
The three men who were arrested are Joseph Debus, 56, of Kailua-Kona, Garth Coleman, 53, of Holualoa and Alexsandr Skelcey, 34, of Kailua-Kona.
Debus was convicted of second-degree sex assault in Hawaii in 1993 and sentenced to five years probation with a year in jail. Coleman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degree assault in 2000 after a jury trial in Hawaii. And Skelcey was convicted in Michigan in 2012 of assault with intent to commit sex assault.
“Sex offender registration requirements exist to protect our communities and ensure law enforcement knows where convicted offenders are living,” Tom Alipio, chief of the AG department’s Investigations Division, said in a press release. “Compliance operations like this send a clear message that we will actively monitor the registry, investigate violations and work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable when they fail to meet their legal obligations.”
HPD Chief Reed Mahuna said, “Operations like this allow us to verify that offenders are maintaining strict compliance with registration laws and those who aren’t will be addressed immediately. We will continue to leverage these multi-agency partnerships to keep our island communities safe,”
Members of the public can look up publicly available offender information and subscribe to notifications at sexoffenders.ehawaii.gov/coveredoffender/.
Anyone with information regarding a registered sex offender who may be violating registration requirements is encouraged to contact the Department of the Attorney General’s Investigation Division at (808) 586-1240 or their local law enforcement.
A brush in North Kona, near the Ulu Wini Apartments, has closed a portion of Hina Lani Street, between Route 190 and Ane Keokalole Highway.
According to Hawai‘i Island police, the road is expected to be closed for the next three hours and motorists are advised to avoid the area.
Hawai‘i Fire Assistant Chief Chris Carvalho confirmed at least two engines, two brush trucks, Chopper 2 and a medic vehicle responded to the blaze that started in some bushes.
No evacuations or injuries have been reported at this time.
At 11:09 a.m., an AlertWest camera, installed by Hawaiian Electric in wildfire-prone areas, showed smoke billowing above the Keahuolu Courthouse. As of 12:06 p.m., that smoke appears to have dissipated.
This is a developing story. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
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