Kamehameha Schools student arrested, charged for bringing gun to Keaau campus

Hawaii island police have arrested and charged a 17-year-old boy with disorderly conduct and first-degree terroristic threatening after he brought a “starter” gun to the Kamehameha Schools campus in Keeau on Tuesday.

Police said at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, Puna officers responded to a report of a student possibly in possession of a revolver at the high school campus. Upon arrival, school security had already detained the suspect and retrieved a revolver from him.

Upon examining the pistol, police determined it to be a “starter” gun that cannot fire projectiles because the barrel is obstructed by a piece of welded metal inside. However, it resembled an authentic gun.

The teen was arrested and taken to the Pahoa police station, charged, then released to his guardian.

Kamehameha Schools administrators said they were alerted via a social media post featuring a photo of the suspect with the revolver. After seeing the post, they became concerned for the safety of the students and faculty. Campus security contacted the student and found the revolver in his waistband.

The suspect did not brandish the firearm at anyone, police said, and Kamehameha Schools was not locked down during the incident.

“Though this firearm was not loaded or operational, we treat these types of threats to our schools seriously and will aggressively prosecute these types of incidents,” said Puna District Captain Scott Amaral in a news release. “Working in cooperation with Kamehameha Schools, this incident was resolved quickly and peacefully with minimal interruption to school functions. Our children deserve to be able to learn and grow in a safe environment and not be afraid of gun violence.”

Police encourage students to immediately report if someone they know has brought a weapon on campus.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Officer Robert Kamau of Puna Patrol at 808-965-2716 or at Robert.Kamau@hawaiicounty.gov.