‘Help me, please,’ then boom, boom, boom,’ Waianae shooting witness recalls

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu police were at the scene of an apparent shooting off Ala Walua Street on Sunday afternoon, that left one 15-year-old boy in serious condition.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services transported the teen to the hospital after having suffered gunshot wounds to his arm and leg.

According to EMS, the incident occurred sometime around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday in Waianae.

An apartment complex parking lot was taped off by the police. People who live nearby said they heard a boy yelling for help.

“I heard, ‘Help me, help me, please,’ and it was like a cry, just a cry and then boom boom boom boom, it sounded like fireworks,” said nearby resident Ilona Irvine.

She said it sounded like a semi-automatic gun.

“Where do these kids get that? Where do they get that? That’s a military type of gun. It’s all influence – it’s really scary,” she added.

She said she heard a car speed off right after she heard the gunshots.

Officers on scene would not answer if the suspects were apprehended or still on the loose. KHON2 reached out to HPD but didn’t hear back.

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In the middle of the parking lot you could see gym shoes, a bloody towel, and a red bag.

The parking lot was blocked off for hours.

Many said it was scary because there were so many kids running around the area, and this shooting happened in broad daylight.

“This is a very dense area, we have a lot of families here, kids, it’s a weekend they’re running around,” said Nanakuli and Maili Neighborhood Board Chair Samantha Decorte. “I’m walking out of church and my phone is flooded with messages about another shooting, this time on a Sunday in broad daylight, I mean violence here has absolutely no limits,”

Decorte and others dumbfounded by another shooting involving kids. She said more police presence is needed along the Waianae Coast, and the empty police station needs funding now.

“That is the priority we need, and it needs to be done now, it has to be today, how many more lives do we need to lose before we prioritize completing that police station?” she added.

Decorte said she offers voice lessons to kids for free. She asks others to step forward and provide outlets and programs for kids to be involved in within the community.

“What can we do as a community what are you doing to make a difference? I’m without words, someone’s son, someone’s grandson, uncle, and it happened in my own back yard literally in the back,” she said.

The Waianae police station is able to process some arrests, but as of June 1, HPD said it was working with the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services and the Department of Design and Construction on the completion of the second floor of the building.