Saturday’s fatal shooting in the heart of Waikiki was the third in six days on Oahu, leaving shattered families and a community looking for ways to stop the surge in gun violence.
In the Waikiki case, Justice Manumalo Kaio was arrested for suspicion of second-degree murder after turning himself in at the Honolulu Police Department’s Alapai headquarters at 2:15 p.m. Sunday.
Police said that at about 10 p.m. Saturday at Kalakaua Avenue and Lewers Street, Kaio got into an argument with a 20-year-old man whom he knew. Kaio allegedly pulled a gun on the man and shot him. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.
The deadly shooting was one of three separate incidents of gun violence on Oahu over the weekend. There have been at least five shootings, three fatal, since Tuesday, illustrating an alarming trend.
At 11:50 p.m. Saturday someone shot at a car near the H-1 freeway in the eastbound lanes near the Punchbowl Street exit. The case was classified by police as second-degree attempted murder.
Another shooting reportedly occurred at 1:11 a.m. Sunday near Farrington Highway and Kaukamana Street in Maili. Police are investigating that case as second-degree reckless endangerment.
“Both were separate incidents, were reported away from the scene of the offense, and are being actively investigated by HPD,” according to police.
On Saturday, 19-year-old Nainoa Damon turned himself in at the Wahiawa Police Station after he allegedly shot and killed Ha’aheo Kolona, an 18-year-old high school senior, at a scenic lookout on Round Top Drive in Tantalus.
Kolona allegedly pulled a gun on Damon after Damon tried to rob Kolona’s friend by putting a gun to his head at about 2 a.m. Friday, according to police. Damon was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.
On Tuesday one man was killed and three others wounded in a shootout in a Waianae neighborhood during a discussion over the return of a stolen firearm.
According to HPD’s 2020 annual report, guns were used in eight of Oahu’s 19 killings in 2020, compared with 2019, when firearms were used in 10 of 24 homicides. Of the 24 killings in 2018, eight were done with a gun.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Sunday that he is “very concerned” about the recent shootings, adding that HPD has the “undivided and complete support” of his administration when it comes to protecting the public from gun violence.
“It wasn’t too many years ago when a gun shooting was considered to be a rare occurrence. … That said, the crimes involving guns and actual shootings have become more prevalent in recent years, and it is something we cannot accept as a way of life in 2022,” Blangiardi said.
“We already have strict gun laws in place … and that makes these recent shootings absolutely unacceptable to who we are as a people.”
Ken Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project and a faculty specialist at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law, said he is troubled by the recent increase in gun violence.
“You can’t just rely on the police to get the guns. How do you enforce stuff like this? It becomes very hard to predict,” Lawson said. “Guns are so easy to get, in certain areas it’s almost a part of a young person’s wardrobe. By carrying a gun, if you pull it out you may use it even if you didn’t intend to.”
Gun crimes are rarely random and usually occur between parties who know each other and are fighting over something, often drugs, money or property, he said. The presence of a gun in the heat of the moment can lead to tragedy, Lawson added.
Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said his office is concerned by the recent killings because Hawaii generally has had a “very low” rate of violent crime and gun-related crime compared with other states.
“In the past, disputes would have been resolved using words or fists, but now we’re seeing people resorting to firearms. We are working hard to hold accountable those who commit crimes using guns,” Alm said. “We are working very hard to combat these crimes and will be asking the judges to sentence people to prison who use guns in the commission of a crime.”
Firearms were used in 222 aggravated assaults on Oahu in 2020, up from 213 in 2019 and 128 in 2018, according to HPD’s annual report for 2020. There was a downturn in the use of guns to commit robberies in 2020, falling to 129 from 152 in 2019. In 2018, guns were used in 107 robberies.
Randal Lee, a retired Circuit Court judge who is an assistant professor in criminal justice at Hawaii Pacific University, said the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the criminal justice system and shuttered the courts, possibly emboldening criminals.
“The system is supposed to process cases expeditiously, but the pandemic kind of screwed things up. A lot of times there were offenders who figure there is nothing happening. … They are not in the (criminal justice) system right away, and they end up getting into more trouble,” Lee said.
“There is the trend that people are resorting to the use of guns not only in committing crimes, but resolving disputes. This mainland trend is seeping into Hawaii.”
Alm said the increase in firearm ownership in Hawaii, which has some of the strict- est gun control laws in the nation, isn’t necessarily to blame for the rise in recent shootings.
“If people are going through the legal process of getting a gun, they are less likely to commit crimes with a gun. In many cases involving firearms, the guns are stolen or borrowed,” Alm said. “We will be looking very carefully at this recent spate of crimes to see how these firearms were acquired, whether legally purchased, stolen or otherwise.”
Alm urged firearm owners to keep them locked up “so they are not stolen and used in a crime.”
Interim Honolulu Police Chief Rade Vanic did not respond to Star-Advertiser requests for comment on the weekend incidents.
On Friday, Vanic told the Star-Advertiser that increased gun violence is a national trend but that the number of shootings in Honolulu compared with other large cities is “relatively low.”
“However, even one death is too many, and we have to remember that every victim is an individual with families and loved ones. In many incidents there is a relationship or connection between the victim and suspect. These are not random acts of violence,” Vanic said.
Gun crimes are “challenging and difficult to address,” he said, adding that ensuring stiffer sentences and incarceration for violent criminals is needed.
“We can increase police visibility and presence, but there is no guarantee that this would decrease gun crimes, since most crimes occur when the police aren’t present,” Vanic said.
The recent gun violence also has drawn the attention of the FBI. Although the agency declined to comment on ongoing investigations, Steven Merrill, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu Division, said, “We are actively working with our local and federal law enforcement partners on the reduction of gun violence and violent crimes in our communities. The FBI is always available to assist our law enforcement partners.”
