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The shooting death of a 34-year-old Wahiawa man followed a simmering personal dispute as homicide detectives continue to investigate and search for a suspect.
William Tyrone Spencer of Peterman, Ala., lived in an apartment at 69 Lakeview Circle. He was sitting in a car at 5:10 a.m. Sunday in front of the building when a man walked up and shot into the vehicle, hitting him multiple times in his torso.
The suspect, clad in a dark-colored hoodie, fled in a dark-colored vehicle, according to HPD Homicide Detail Lt. Deena Thoemmes.
Spencer was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The case has been classified as second- degree murder.
“We believe the suspect knew that the victim was going to be at that location at that time,” Thoemmes said.
No arrests have been made.
“Any time you have an unknown person who committed a homicide, yes, they are dangerous,” said Thoemmes. “We are doing everything we can to investigate it and try to apprehend him.”
Detectives were told the victim may be a military veteran, but that had yet to be confirmed Monday.
In December, Spencer’s neighbor Manuel Nicholas applied for a temporary restraining order against him after he alleged that Spencer confronted him and threatened to beat him up.
On Dec. 27 Nicholas said he woke up at 6 a.m. to the smell of cannabis and walked outside to spray his window with air freshener. Nicholas alleged that once outside, Spencer, who lived next door, started yelling at him, according to the TRO application.
Spencer allegedly stood in front of Nicholas’ door yelling and threatening to beat him. He allegedly told Nicholas he was going to “light him up.”
Nicholas retreated to his apartment to retrieve his granddaughter and girlfriend and leave. Spencer pursued and got in his girlfriend’s face, Nicholas wrote in the application. An unnamed friend with Spencer grabbed him and told him “not her,” but Spencer told the woman he was going to hurt Nicholas.
In January a judge granted the TRO against Spencer for three years, according to court documents.
Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
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