A neighbor-on-neighbor shooting on Aug. 31 killed four people and critically injured two in Waianae, Hawaii, according to a statement by the Honolulu Police Department (HPD).
The dispute occurred just after 11:15 pm on Saturday when police received multiple 911 calls from Waianae residents reporting their neighbor was using a front loader to ram multiple cars into the home where a family gathering was taking place, said Honolulu police detective Lt. Deena Thoemmes.
Multiple people were gathered around the carport and fled or tried to escape when the suspect opened fire and fatally shot three women aged 34, 36, and 29, Thoemmes said in a news conference.
“At some point, a 42-year-old male resident of the home fatally shot the suspect with a handgun.” Thoemmes said. Authorities arrested the 42-year-old male at the scene for second degree murder.
Emergency Medical Services sent the two remaining victims, a 31-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, who were in critical condition, to the hospital.
An initial investigation shows that the unidentified suspect driving the front loader had four 55-gallon drums carrying an unknown fuel, said Thoemmes. Witnesses told authorities that the suspect shot rounds into the drums but police have not confirmed that yet.
The Honolulu Fire Department’s Hazmat team was called in to help HPD remove the drums.
In the past couple of weeks there have been multiple shootings in Waianae that have led police to increase the number of officers in the area, but Saturday’s incident is not related to the earlier ones, said Chief of Police Arthur “Joe” Logan in the news conference.
“I want to reassure the public that this is not a random act but a targeted act between neighbors that obviously had a dispute,” said Logan.
Logan gave thanks to the community for assisting law enforcement, government officials, and community leaders for coming together to fight against gun violence.
“I would like to thank the community for all that they’re doing right now to help,” said Logan. “The greater Waianae community, Nānākuli, continue to assist law enforcement, continue to work with our elected officials, our crime community policing teams of the Honolulu Police Department, and their community leaders to help to get together to solve the issue.”
“The Waianae, Nānākuli, Mā’ili areas are a community filled with a lot of law-abiding citizens that want to live in a safe and secure environment so how do we work together to continue that and provide the safety and security they want.”
Police will continue investigating the incident, carrying out witness interviews, surveillance video review, and recovery of evidence, said Thoemmes.