Honolulu police officers fatally shoot machete-wielding man

Honolulu police fatally shot a 41-year-old man after he allegedly severed a man’s pinky finger with a machete and rushed toward a responding police officer with the large knife near an illegal game room in Kalihi early Wednesday, according to bystanders and police.

The shooting occurred in the parking lot next to a game room in the 1300 block of North School Street before 2:30 a.m. The game room is on the makai ground floor of a mixed-use building near the Houghtailing Street intersection.

Bystanders said they first heard a man screaming in pain in the early morning hours.

In an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Charise Kekawa said a man assaulted her 33-year-old boyfriend, cutting off his pinky finger.

She recalled she was sitting in a vehicle while her boyfriend went to pick up a vacuum cleaner when she heard her boyfriend yell in pain. Kekawa said she saw the attacker and started yelling at him. “The man just came out of the dark,” she said.

Her boyfriend was taken in serious condition to The Queen’s Medical Center. “I was scared for him,” Kekawa said. The victim underwent surgery where doctors attempted to reattach his pinky but the surgery was unsuccessful.

In a news conference later in the day, Honolulu Police Department Interim Chief Rade Vanic said officers shot the suspect after he allegedly “rushed toward” one officer with a machete. He said that two officers fired their guns “multiple times” at the man.

“Officers approached the suspect, who was armed with a machete, and repeatedly ordered him to stop. The suspect ignored the officers and walked toward a parked car and opened the driver’s side door,” Vanic said.

Officers ordered the man to drop the machete but he ignored them.

“Instead, the suspect moved toward the nearest officer, who was in front of the parked car, as officers continued to yell at him to drop the weapon,” Vanic said. “As the officer was attempting to distance himself from the suspect, the suspect raised the machete over his head and rushed toward the officer.”

Two officers then fired their weapons at the man, who then fell to the ground. Vanic said the number of shots officers fired and the number of times the man was shot are still under investigation.

After he was shot, the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services brought the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. HPD isn’t releasing the identities of the victim or suspect, although Vanic said he believes the suspect has been convicted for a previous crime.

The officers were on the scene for about 10 minutes before the shooting, and their interaction with the suspect lasted about 30 seconds, Vanic said.

Vanic said the police officers did not sustain any injuries.

Kekawa said she has previously seen the suspect around in the area but does not know him personally.

Police shut down a section of North School Street between Houghtailing and Aupuni streets and cordoned the scene with yellow tape for approximately five hours to conduct an investigation.

A tow truck retrieved a silver Volkswagen Beetle convertible from the parking lot as part of a first-degree attempted murder investigation against the 41-year-old man.

The two officers who discharged their firearms have six and 20 years of service, respectively, with the police department. Both will be placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure.

It’s not clear what prompted the attack between the suspect and the victim. Vanic added that it’s not clear if drugs were involved.

HPD recovered body-worn camera footage from the officers involved and additional surveillance footage, but has not yet released them to the public.

It’s not yet clear if both officers had their cameras on, Vanic said, although he has watched the footage of the incident from one of the officers involved.

A timeline for releasing the recovered footage has not been set.

“It will be released at an appropriate time in the future,” Vanic said. “It will probably be in coordination with the prosecutor until a determination is made whether or not this investigation will move forward for prosecution.”

A resident of an apartment near the scene said she saw a man enter a silver vehicle and retrieve a weapon. The resident, who declined to give her name, said she heard officers order him to drop the machete. She saw the man move toward the officers, at which time she heard about four gunshots.

Another bystander said he heard about seven shots. He noted the game room occupies the space of a large storage room of the mixed-use building.

It’s not immediately known whether the assault against the 33-year-old man has any connection to the game room.

“There is a game room in the area,” Vanic said. “However, it is my understanding that (the attack) occurred outside.“

Area residents say they have repeatedly complained to police about loud noises, fights and illegal drug activity in the area since the game room opened three to four years ago. They noted law enforcement raided the game room multiple times in the past but it would reopen within a few days.

“It’s just ridiculous,” said another resident who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 25 years and wants authorities to permanently shut down the game room.

People regularly enter the game room throughout the night and early morning and loiter in the parking lot that residents of the Kapalama Gardens apartment complex use. “This is all so frustrating. Nobody is listening to us,” the resident said.