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Murder case again filed against man in shooting near Waianae harbor

Leila Fujimori

Eight months after murder and firearm charges against 19-year-old Zaysten Vincent were dismissed without prejudice — meaning he could be retried later — an Oahu grand jury indicted him Friday on the same charges in the death of a 28-year-old man near the Waianae Small Boat Harbor.

Online court records do not show what took place in the courtroom Jan. 11 when Honolulu District Judge Summer Kupau-Odo dismissed the charges without prejudice just three weeks after Vincent allegedly shot and killed Jarron Crowell on Dec. 19.

On Friday a grand jury indicted Vincent in the same shooting, charging him with second-degree murder for Crowell’s death. Police arrested him Saturday at the main police station in Honolulu.

He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, the amount being confirmed Monday by order of Circuit Judge Christine Kuriyama.

Vincent was also indicted on charges of carrying a firearm in the commission of a separate felony and place to keep pistol or revolver, which had also been dismissed.

Matt Dvonch, spokesman for the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, said, “Due to witness scheduling issues at the time of the original preliminary hearing, the case was dismissed without prejudice. … As this is an ongoing prosecution, we are going to decline further comment.”

Vincent is scheduled for arraignment and plea at 8:30 a.m. Thursday before Kuriyama.

Court records do reveal details of what police found to show probable cause for Vincent’s arrest.

Witnesses said they saw a group of four males, at least one of whom was a minor, approach Crowell at the Waianae Small Boat Harbor.

Witness Butch Hokoana said he saw Crowell walk into the harbor parking lot, wash off at a water spigot near the parking lot entrance, and saw the group approach him and congregate near a red or maroon car parked near the spigot.

Hokoana said it appeared three of them were instigating a fight with Crowell.

He yelled at them trying to dissuade them from the fight.

Two approached Hokoana and his girlfriend. He recognized one of them, a minor.

Hokoana got into a brief altercation with the other and then walked away.

His mother, Andi-Lee Hoko­ana, and another witness, Charles McMurray Jr., were in the same area near the harbor driveway when they heard multiple gunshots coming from the direction of Spinners Cafe.

They then saw a group of males run from Spinners to Farrington Highway and a red or maroon car speeding out of the parking lot.

Two other witnesses, unnamed in the court document, say they fear for their safety.

A person called Witness No. 1 told police he/she saw the man who shot Crowell, and positively identified Vincent out of a blind photo lineup. He/she also described the weapon as a black or dark-colored revolver.

A second witness said he/she was sleeping near Spinners in his/her vehicle and awoke to the sound of three males arguing with Crowell.

The witness saw a man, who approached from the highway, fire multiple gunshots toward Crowell, then saw him fall to the ground.

Police said Vincent’s girlfriend’s car, a red 2010 Honda Civic, matches the description of the red or maroon car that fled the scene after the shooting.

When police arrived bystanders were rendering aid to Crowell in a parking lot across from Spinners Cafe.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said five bullet fragments were recovered during an autopsy. The cause was multiple gunshot wounds, and the manner was ruled a homicide.

Police conducted surveillance at Vincent’s home Dec. 22 and learned he was working at Pier 24 at 703 N. Nimitz Highway, where he was arrested that day.

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