HPD cites drugs as
possible murder motive
A recent shooting in Pearl City that killed one man and wounded another may have started over a fight involving four ounces of marijuana, Honolulu police said.
Police charged three suspects in the case yesterday. They are Micah Keone Kanahele, 22, Rosalino Ramos, 22, and Kevin Harris, 26.
Kanahele, who is alleged to have shot both victims, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. Both Ramos and Harris are being held in lieu of $100,000 bail each.
A police affidavit stated that on Saturday the three suspects went to meet two other men, Winston Domingo and Guylan Nuuhiwa, in the Longs Drugs parking lot at 850 Kamehameha Highway. The suspects approached the car as Nuuhiwa sat in the passenger seat and Domingo was in the driver's seat.
According to the affidavit, an argument started and Harris punched Nuuhiwa, who was still in the car. The affidavit states that Kanahele allegedly shot Nuuhiwa as he was trying to get out of the car.
Domingo told police that he then got out of the car and "ran for his life" toward a Chevron gas station while Kanahele also shot at him. Domingo said that while he was running he heard Harris yelling, "Micah, shoot him again," according to the affidavit.
When police responded, they found two men on the ground near a white Honda Accord. Nuuhiwa had been shot in the face, and Domingo was taken to the Queen's Medical Center for treatment for multiple gunshot wounds. Nuuhiwa was later pronounced dead at Queen's, while Domingo recovered. Domingo was last reported in stable condition at Queen's.
Police have charged Kanahele with second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted murder and several drug and firearms offenses. Police have charged all three suspects in the case with robbery, with Harris facing an additional charge of unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle for allegedly punching Nuuhiwa in the car.
Investigators are also looking into whether this shooting in Pearl City may be related to another shooting in Aiea on Oct. 26. In that case, three to four suspects walked up the driveway of the home at 99-121 Pamoho Place and shot and killed Greg Morishima, 49. The suspects, all dressed in dark clothes, with their faces covered, fled the area in a beige or tan sport utility vehicle.
According to sources close to the investigation, the Pearl City shooting came after an argument over a package containing about four ounces of marijuana.
Police said this is the third murder case this year involving marijuana, though the first two cases involved substantially bigger quantities.
In July, police charged a 53-year-old Kahuku man, Colonel Robert Taylor, with murder and commercial marijuana growing after he allegedly shot a 52-year-old co-worker, Jesus Camacho. Taylor told police the shooting was an accident. Police found an estimated 700 marijuana plants near a shed where the shooting occurred.
In September an Oahu grand jury indicted a Manoa man for allegedly murdering 28-year-old Yorck Woita, of Kaneohe, then burning the victim's sport utility vehicle. Prosecutors said Gregory Awana, 39, had been growing marijuana in his home, had a dispute with the victim, then killed him.
Police later caught Awana while he was allegedly trying to dispose of 25 pounds of marijuana at a Kailua dumpsite along with bloody items from his home.
