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Farmer admits fatally
shooting alleged thief
The victim was suspected of
stealing produce and goods
A Kahuku farmer surrendered to police yesterday after a 38-year-old man was shot to death in Malaekahana Valley.
The suspect, a 48-year-old Laotian man, told police at the Wahiawa Police Station at 1 p.m. that he shot the victim with a shotgun.
The suspect's wife had discovered the body along a private road at the end of Malaekahana Road as she was walking to work at her family's leased farm earlier that morning.
"A woman reported finding a body in the middle of the dirt road on the farm lots of the valley between 9:20 to 9:30 a.m.," said Honolulu police Lt. Bill Kato. "We're still questioning the suspect."
At the time, woman did not know her husband was involved in the case, police said.
A source close to the investigation said the victim was an alleged thief who was suspected of stealing produce and farm equipment from the area.
According to the source, the farmer was at work at his farm Monday night when he was startled by a shadow and grabbed his shotgun, which he told police he uses to scare off birds. The source said the suspect said he saw someone running down the dirt road and followed him in a van.
The suspect told police that he came across a sack containing some of his property in the road and got out of the van to pick it up. He then spotted someone near the back of his vehicle. The two men got into a confrontation, and the suspect told police that he fired his shotgun because he was scared, according to the source.
The victim was shot in the center of his back and also in his left leg and bled to death after being hit in a major artery in his leg, according to police.
Kato said police had not recovered the shotgun.
Alika Kaahu, 49, a farm worker who lives and works nearby, said he heard some commotion Monday night, but no gunshots.
"Our dogs was barking like crazy about 12 or 1 o'clock," he said.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, although he had not been charged as of last night.
The victim has 24 arrests and three convictions for petty misdemeanors. The suspect has no criminal record, according to police.
Windward investigators said agricultural thefts have been on the rise in the area and that thieves there are stealing more than just crops.
"In Kahuku in particular they've been stealing a lot of tools and fertilizer, doing property damage to gates and fences," said Lt. John McCarthy of the Windward Oahu Burglary/Theft Detail. "In general, it's become more frequent."
