Man charged in Ala Moana killing
Police say the suspect and victim had met in the park to fight
A 19-year-old man was charged with murder yesterday in the shooting death of a Kalihi teenager at Ala Moana Park early Monday.
Khaynava Phanthanouvong, 18, was shot and killed about 2:40 a.m. after two groups allegedly met in Ala Moana Park for a confrontation.
Christopher Alesna, 19, of Kalihi was charged with second-degree murder, the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and another firearms-related charge. He does not have a criminal record as an adult.
Police said Phanthanouvong was calling and text-messaging Alesna on Sunday night and challenging him to a fight, according to a police affidavit filed in Honolulu District Court.
The two agreed to meet at Ala Moana Beach Park. At about 2:40 a.m. Monday, Alesna arrived with an unknown male, while Phanthanouvong came with a friend, the affidavit said. The four confronted each other near the Waikiki Yacht Club.
Witnesses said they heard at least one gunshot shortly afterward. Phanthanouvong and his friend ran to their vehicle, and Alesna fired two or three more rounds toward them, according to the affidavit.
Phanthanouvong told his friend he was shot. He was driven to the Queen's Medical Center, where he died at 2:50 a.m. Phanthanouvong was shot once in the chest.
Phanthanouvong's friend and "numerous witnesses" identified Alesna as the shooter, who fled the scene before police arrived.
At 9:45 Wednesday night, Alesna turned himself in at the Honolulu Police Department's headquarters on South Beretania Street, police said. He was accompanied by Erwin Garillo, a Filipino community leader and a friend of the suspect's mother, and state Rep. John Mizuno, a friend of Garillo's.
"He was a little afraid, and with Erwin and I there, he felt a lot better," Mizuno said of the suspect's conduct before turning himself in.
Alesna's mother contacted Garillo about 4 p.m. Wednesday because the police were looking for her son. It was decided it would be best for the suspect to turn himself in.
"It was the best route to take, instead of hiding out or escalating any other violence," Mizuno said. "We didn't want anyone else to get hurt."
Mizuno said he, Garillo and the suspect's mother did not discuss details of the case with the teenager.
"We didn't want to scare him off by trying to question him," Mizuno said.
Hawaii-born Phanthanouvong had returned to the islands in July with his sister from Texas hoping to advance his work as an audiovisual projectionist.