Former Kailua High School teacher David Izumi said it was an accident, that he was swinging the hammer down in frustration and it slipped out of his hand when he tried to stop it from hitting some glass.
He said it’s not in his character to hurt any student or anybody.
But the hammer did hurt one of his industrial engineering and technology students in April. The student required four stitches on the head.
Izumi, 51, pleaded no contest Monday to misdemeanor assault.
"I didn’t want to fight the charges because I just didn’t feel right about it," he said.
He faces up to a year in jail when a Kaneohe district judge sentences him next month.
Izumi is asking for a deferral of his no-contest plea to give him the opportunity to clear the charge from his criminal record.
He said the injured boy is a good student, and he immediately apologized to him for what happened and even told the student he loved him.
Izumi said he swung the hammer because he was under a lot of stress. Three family members — two aunts and a cousin — had just died within a two-month period. Four other family members are terminally ill. One of the five people who died in an explosion at a Waikele fireworks storage unit was a good friend and fellow church member.
He said his shop class was facing a safety inspection. His robotics program at the school had possibly damaged its $5,000 underwater camera and had just lost a $10,000 sponsorship.
"There was a lot going on, (but) there is no excuse for what had happened. I don’t really use that as an excuse. I kinda lost my temper," Izumi said.
His lawyer, William Domingo, said Izumi was seeking counseling the week of the incident to prevent outbursts.
Izumi said the school principal has recommended his termination, and school started without him Monday. He said he is appealing to the complex-area superintendent to get his job back, and if his appeal is denied, will take his case to the schools superintendent.
After making money importing textiles, then working as a radio deejay, Izumi said he became a teacher just over 11 years ago because he didn’t want kids growing up the way he did, being told that he was stupid and would dig ditches the rest of his life.
"I don’t want anybody, any student, to feel like they’re nothing, that they don’t matter," he said.
Former students and parents showed up at court Monday to show their support.
"He’s always been there for me," said former student Andrew Ikeda.
