Police were searching Sunday night for a suspect or suspects in the fatal shooting of two men in Kalihi.
One of the victims was the father of two young children and had planned to get married soon, according to a family member.
Honolulu police Lt. Walter Calistro said officers responded to a call about shots fired shortly before 6 a.m. and found two men shot inside a car on Auiki Street, in a commercial district off Sand Island Access Road.
Paramedics said a 29-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his head died at the scene, while a 35-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his chest was taken in critical condition to a hospital.
Police said he died at the hospital at 8:45 a.m.
Calistro said police were still trying to determine a motive.
Adam Rapozo, who is homeless, said he was on Mokauea Street about a block away from Auiki Street when he heard the gunshots.
"The first gunshot was ‘poom!’" he said. "There was a pause, like a two-second pause. Then I heard ‘poom, poom, poom, poom, poom, poom, poom!’"
Culver Rosokow, one of the victims, was a father with two children and was planning to get married in Hawaii, a family member told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Court records show Rosokow got three tickets while driving a car with the same license plate in 2014. It was unclear who was driving the dark-colored Hyundai sedan Sunday.
The driver, who died at the scene, remained slumped over the steering wheel after police taped off Auiki Street between Puuhale Road and Mokauea Street to investigate. Three bullet holes could be seen in the driver’s-side window.
Rosokow’s nephew, who gave only his first name, Francis, told the Star-Advertiser through social media that his uncle, who was also known as Rambo Rosokow, lived with him in Georgia for two years and was more like his brother. He said Rosokow has a son and a daughter, both under 5, and came from Micronesia several years ago.
Francis, 17, said Rosokow and his family, including his daughter, moved back to Hawaii last year, but Rosokow’s son still lives with Francis in Georgia. He said his uncle always encouraged him to do better and trusted him to take care of his son when he was away.
Francis said his family had talked about visiting Hawaii to attend his uncle’s wedding and was shocked by the shooting. He said he did not know the identity of the second victim.
Sam Owens, a homeless man who lives in the area, said he was on Sand Island Access Road near the old Kilgo’s when he saw a dark sedan appear to be chased by a white sedan.
He said he first noticed yelling near the McKesson Building and saw a man get into a dark-colored sedan, then drive off, followed by a white sedan. The vehicles drove Diamond Head on Sand Island Access Road, turned around off the road near La Mariana Restaurant and Bar and then drove back up Sand Island Access Road toward Nimitz Highway at high speed.
Owens said he saw two people inside the dark sedan and one person inside the white car. He last saw the vehicles turn right onto Nimitz.
Several minutes later he heard pops that he said sounded like fireworks.
