HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu police are searching for a suspect they consider armed and dangerous after shooting two men in Waianae on Saturday. It’s the latest incident in a string of gun violence on the Leeward coast. The community is calling for short and long-term solutions to prevent another tragedy.
Get Hawaii’s latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You
A memorial is growing at the Waianae Small Boat Harbor to remember the lives of two men who police said were killed on Saturday. According to HPD, the incident happened after an argument at the boat harbor at 1 a.m. where four victims suffered gunshot wounds. Police said, the 29-year-old was found dead inside of a vehicle at the scene and the 19-year-old later died from his injuries. HPD believes the incident is not random and the individuals may have known each other.
After numerous high profile shootings in West Oahu, the community is saying enough is enough.
“Now it takes a community to stop this gun violence in the Waianae area,” said Jonathan Hoomanawanui, Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board Chair.
HPD’s new data dashboard shows, for violent crime in District 8, which stretches from Ewa Beach to Kaena Point, majority of the crimes are happening between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.
In September so far, there were 12 aggravated assaults, one murder or manslaughter, four robberies, and 10 sex offenses. Meanwhile, the community is still in shock over the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old boy in May at Makaha Beach Park and the shooting incident in June of Richianna DeGuzman in Maili.
Lawmakers KHON2 spoke with said there needs to be more preventative action and solutions considered to prevent another tragedy along the Leeward coast.
“Once you take a life, you can’t take it back. It’s not video games, this isn’t a fantasy lifestyle. This is real life, real people get hurt,” said Rep. Cedric Gates, (D) Waianae, Makaha.
Residents also want to see the $16 million Waianae Police Station utilized at full capacity.
“We would like to see the Waianae station come back up to par or back up to speed to handle these kind of violences in our community,” said Hoomanawanui.
“The personnel is just as important as the construction, because if you can build it out and you can’t fill those seats with people, you can’t run properly,” said Rep. Gates.
KHON2 has reached out to HPD for comment and are waiting for a response. Police said no arrests have been made at this time and anyone with information is asked to call police.
In an update at 7:00 p.m., Monday, police revealed victim 4 – an 18-year-old male – was also one of the suspects in the case.
Officers located and arrested the man for attempted murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder in the second degree, place to keep, and three counts of use of a firearm in commission of a separate felony.
