With new slaying, Waikiki residents worry over surge in violence

One man and two teenagers were being held Saturday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a military man in Waikiki, bringing the total homicides in the state’s top tourist destination to three in the past two months.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as William Brown of Kailua.

Honolulu police Capt. Walter Ozeki said Saturday’s stabbing occurred about 1 a.m. on the corner of Royal Hawaiian and Kalakaua avenues.

Police responded to a report of a fight and found the victim with multiple stab wounds. He was taken in critical condition to a hospital, where he died.

Multiple people fled from the scene, but police were able to arrest nine individuals, including eight juveniles. Six of the juveniles were later released. A 21-year-old man and a boy and a girl, between the ages of 14 and 16, were still being held Saturday afternoon on suspicion of second-degree murder.

The victim was with a group of about five people when the altercation began, and the suspects were with a separate group of about 10 to 15 people. It appeared a verbal exchange escalated into a fight, Ozeki said. Multiple others had minor injuries from the fray. Ozeki said police are reviewing surveillance tapes in the area.

Ozeki said police did not recover a weapon and were trying to determine a motive. He asked anyone with information to call police because many of the people had fled.

He said police increased their presence in Waikiki because of crimes recently, but those extra officers were scheduled to cover a parade in Waikiki this weekend and were not on hand Friday night.

Several Waikiki residents said they are concerned about the apparent increase in crime in the area.

Waikiki resident John-Anthony Chun, 56, says he believes violent crime has gotten worse this year.

“It’s been happening a lot more lately,” he said. “It’s up.”

Some of those incidents include:

>> Dishaun Walton died at a hospital Oct. 10 after sustaining a head injury during a fight at Irish Rose Saloon on Ena Street on Sept. 20. Court records say Dentric Kenta Dunmore walked up and punched Walton in the face, knocking him to the floor. Dunmore was later charged with manslaughter.

>> On Oct. 9, a Canadian woman was punched and stabbed with a nail file by a man at Kanekapolei Street and Kuhio Avenue at 5:25 p.m.

>> On Oct. 6, a 21-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier sustained multiple stab wounds and head injuries in an attack involving a baseball bat about 1:30 a.m. at Kalakaua Avenue and Lewers Street. The man was critically injured, and police arrested a 14-year-old boy in connection with the attack.

>> Maleko Remlinger was killed and two others were injured when a man shot a rifle into a group of people standing outside Club Alley Cat near the intersection of Kuhio and Seaside avenues about 5:45 a.m. Sept. 16. An 18-year-old man has been charged with murder in the shooting.

Waikiki resident Teresa Parmenter said she feels people don’t have much aloha anymore.

“It seems as if crime is increasing, especially violent crime” in Waikiki, she said, adding that the crimes were “unsettling.”

She said she’s seen more drug activity around her condo on Lewers Street and that more lighting would help on Aloha Drive, where she’s found hypodermic needles in the grass along the curb. She added that police recently busted a drug dealer operating out of a vehicle on a nearby street.

Jon Weiner, another Waikiki resident, said other residents have also told him they’re concerned about recent crimes in Waikiki. He said he is worried that the crime may affect the tourist district and hurt the local economy.