Honolulu police responded to at least three separate gun-related incidents in West Oahu Friday, including the wounding of a 22-year-old man who was allegedly shot by a 16-year-old boy after a heated exchange at Maili Beach Park.
The victim was camping at the park with his family and friends and was shot just after midnight while walking near the parking lot, according to police. The teenager had approached the victim and after a brief verbal confrontation opened fire, according to a Honolulu Police Department social media post.
The 22-year-old man tried to flee but was wounded in the upper torso and collapsed in the park, HPD said. He was transported to an emergency room by a Honolulu Emergency Medical Services ambulance crew and remains hospitalized in serious condition.
The 16-year-old left the park in a black vehicle.
“The suspect is unknown at this time and has not been located, ” according to HPD, which classified the case as second-degree attempted murder.
Within a half-hour of the Maili shooting, at approximately 12 :35 a.m., HPD District 8 patrol officers were summoned to investigate another attempted murder involving gunfire, this time in Waianae.
Police said a 25-year-old man had just arrived home and gotten out of his vehicle when someone in a silver Toyota Corolla drove by and opened fire.
“The suspect fired multiple rounds, missing the victim but striking his vehicle. The suspect fled the area immediately after the shooting, ” HPD said.
Police are looking into whether the Maili case and the drive-by shooting in Waianae are related.
In the third incident, at about 8 :45 a.m., police officers responded to a report of three men near a gold-colored Honda who were firing a gun toward the ocean, according to HPD. District 8 patrol officers found the car with the three men inside.
“As the officers ordered the occupants out, they observed the driver in possession of a firearm, ” HPD said. “The firearm, equipped with a high-capacity magazine, was recovered. Officers also observed what appeared to be a large quantity of drugs in the vehicle.”
The driver, a 48-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of two felonies : a “place to keep ” firearm charge and promoting a dangerous drug in the first degree.
His 58-year-old male passenger was arrested on suspicion of promoting a dangerous drug in the third degree.
Police continue to investigate all three cases, which occurred at a time of heightened concern over violent crime in West Oahu communities. In 2024, Patrol District 8, which covers the area of Kapolei to Makaha, saw a total of 12 murders, 71 rapes, 94 robberies, 201 assaults and 215 burglaries, according to HPD crime statistics.
The spate of shootings include an Aug. 31 rampage by Hiram James Silva Sr., who, armed with an unregistered and unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle and a handgun, shot five of his Waianae Valley Road neighbors, killing three women. He was shot and killed by Rishard Kanaka Keamo-Carnate, who lived at the home with relatives who were hosting an annual family mahjong tournament.
The neighbors had been locked in a simmering dispute over Silva allowing large, noisy unpermitted events in a Quonset hut on his property.
More recent incidents include a police-involved shooting June 24 in Makaha when a 38-year-old suspect with a lengthy criminal record refused to surrender after ramming an unmarked police car until it burst into flames.
Two officers fired a total of about eight shots at Iosua David Stevens, 38, after he accelerated toward them, according to HPD. He was taken to The Queen’s Medical Center in critical condition.
On June 27, a 16-year-old boy was arrested on a firearm charge for bringing a handgun to a summer learning hub at Waianae High School. Police said he did not threaten anyone with the weapon, whose serial number was partially defaced.
State and city lawmakers are circulating a “Public Safety Policy Statement for Waianae ” that details “laws, initiatives, and youth programs that are currently lacking in our community.” These include creating opportunities for young people coming out of high school, monitoring school environments and addressing long-standing socio-economic hardships.
HPD leadership tasked its Major Events Division with developing an incident action plan. Starting in September, 24-hour operations were launched from a forward operating post at the Waianae Police Station to address escalating crime in the district.
To execute the plan, HPD worked with state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the state Sheriff’s Division in the Department of Law Enforcement, the Hawaii State Fusion Center, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Hawaii National Guard Counterdrug Program.
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