2 dead, 3 wounded in shooting at Maili cockfight

Two people died and three were wounded in a shooting after a cockfight at a Maili property late Friday night, according to neighbors and the Honolulu Police Department.

Police are searching for a suspect, described as a local man in his 20s.

The shooting occurred at a property off Kaukamana Road in a clearing near a chicken coop, according to a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about personal safety and the safety of their family. The neighbor said they called 911 around midnight after hearing the gunshots.

The neighbor, who has lived in the area for years, said they were aware that cockfights took place at the nearby property but were not involved in the blood sport. They said the fights had started only recently.

The neighbor said that cockfighting is common in the area, but that they never had concerns about their own safety.

“We just live here, we don’t want to condone anything like that,” the neighbor said. They expressed condolences for those killed and injured and said the situation was “heartbreaking.”

The neighbor said they had returned home from work shortly before the alleged shooting. The fight appeared to already be over and “people were just relaxing, having fun and talking story” when five gunshots rang out in quick succession.

“I didn’t know who was shooting or where bullets were coming from,” the neighbor said.

According to HPD, the five people the gunman shot managed to transport themselves to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, where two were later pronounced dead. Police said they are still notifying families of the deceased and had no other details to offer.