Honolulu Police Department detectives are looking for suspects and investigating four shootings in Kalihi between Sept. 10 and Sept 17.
“Our detectives are looking closely for any possible links. If evidence suggests a connection, the public will be informed,” read a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser from HPD. “HPD has increased patrol presence in areas of concern.”
HPD detectives are working to determine whether there are “underlying factors or connections between incidents” that prompted attempted murder investigations.
“At this time, we remain vigilant in monitoring for any emerging patterns,” HPD said.
On Sept. 10, HPD officers responded to reports of gunfire at the Kuhio Park Terrace Towers at 3:25 p.m. Residents told patrol officers about a vehicle connected to the shooting, according to police.
“Officers later located the vehicle unoccupied. No arrests had been made as of Monday. The investigation is ongoing,” according to HPD. No description of the vehicle or any suspects was immediately released.
Social media posts showed footage of patrol officers at the entrance to one of the towers. Residents reported masked gunmen in an SUV to police.
On Sept, 14, HPD responded to reports of gunfire at Kuhio Park Terrace that left bullet holes in cars parked in front of Linapuni Elementary School.
On Sept. 17, Honolulu police announced they were looking for a man in his 20s who allegedly shot at three men in a car in Kalihi shortly before 10:30 p.m.
HPD District 5 Crime Reduction Unit officers opened an attempted murder investigation after the three men, ages 27, 33 and 29, told police they know who shot at them.
The men were traveling in their Toyota Corolla when the suspect stopped behind them on Gulick Avenue near North School Street. The man got out of his car, approached the victims’ car, and fired a single shot at them. The man got back into a blue four-door sedan and drove off.
The suspect is described as a male in his 20s who is known to the victims, HPD said in a statement.
The next day, on Sept.18, just before midnight, HPD District 5 patrol officers responded to multiple 911 calls of shots fired in the Kalihi Valley Homes area. A dark-colored Dodge Caravan was seen speeding out of Kalihi Valley Homes toward Aoao Street, according to police.
Responding officers arrived and located evidence of the shooting. No one was injured and shortly after officers arrived they found the Caravan near Republican Street.
The September shootings come after a busy summer of gun violence in Kalihi.
On Aug. 9, police were called to an incident on Kalena Street at about 10 p.m. after a witness reported that a man in a white Honda CR-V fired multiple shots that hit a 30-year-old victim who was standing in front of his residence.
The suspect fled before police arrived. Honolulu Emergency Medical Services paramedics treated the victim and took him to a hospital in serious condition.
On July 4, four men were shot in a drive-by shooting in Kalihi.
At about 1:30 a.m. July 4, HPD officers opened an attempted murder investigation after five men were targeted in an early- morning shooting in the Kalihi area.
The five men, ranging in age from 18 to 35, were gathered in the parking lot of Nimitz Video at 1208 North King St. when they heard what they thought were fireworks before several realized they had been shot. Someone in a red Jeep pickup truck driving by fired on the group.
On June 9 Honolulu police investigated a shooting that left a 25-year-old man in serious condition at Kalihi Valley Homes.
Officers responded to reports of gunfire at about 9 p.m. According to police, the victim and two friends had just arrived at the public housing complex when two unknown men approached their vehicle and knocked on the window. When the group did not respond, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and fired into the car, striking the victim in the upper torso. The suspects fled the scene.
Paramedics treated and transported the victim to a trauma center in serious condition, according to Emergency Medical Services.
County lawmakers told the Star-Advertiser that gang and gun violence has plagued the Kalihi area for years. The proliferation of unlicensed, homemade firearms worries community members. With easier access to guns, disputes too often end in gunfire.
“Kalihi, like other communities, has faced challenges with violence for decades. While our office hasn’t received calls about this recent incident (Sept. 17), we recognize this is part of a deeper, underlying issue. There has been a shift from gang activity to the ease of access to and unregulated use of illegal firearms, especially ghost guns,” said District 7 Council member Radiant Cordero.
About 10 years ago, the City Council worked closely with community partners to focus on gang prevention and youth development in Kalihi, she said.
“Back then, those efforts made a difference, but the problem has now evolved to individuals or smaller groups of people who are responsible for the recent violent activity,” Cordero said. “It is critical that we unite, community and lawmakers together, to tackle illegitimate gun access to ensure the safety of our residents.”
Council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam told the Star-Advertiser that as a community Honolulu needs to say “enough is enough and match that with action.”
“That means doubling down on our efforts to get more HPD officers on the ground, more positive activities for our youth, and taking a hard look at the fact that there are too many guns out there,” Dos Santos-Tam said.
Source: The Garden Island
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