HONOLULU (AP) — Citing self-defense, prosecutors have declined to charge a Hawaii man who was arrested on suspicion of murder after shooting a neighbor who opened fire at a gathering, killing three women.
Prosecutors declined the case Wednesday “due to issues related to self-defense and defense of others," Honolulu police said in a bulletin update.
The deadly Aug. 31 shooting stemmed from a neighborhood dispute in Waianae, a community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of downtown Honolulu.
Police responded to a 911 call reporting their neighbor was operating a front-end loader and using it to ram multiple cars into the home where a family gathering was taking place, then opened fire at people gathered in the carport. The gunfire hit and killed the three women. A 42-year-old man living in the house shot and killed the man with a handgun, police said.
A man and another woman were injured in addition to the women killed.
The 42-year-old resident of the house where the neighbor opened fire was arrested on suspicion of murder and released about 20 hours later.
His lawyer, Michael Green, said Thursday, “This seemed to be clear to everybody” that he was defending himself and others. “He sees people shot down at his home and he winds up in a lockup.”
But his client “grudgingly understands” why he was arrested, Green said, noting the gun was registered.
There was a long-running dispute between the households of the neighboring homes involved, stemming from a rental party space on property belonging to the man who opened fire. The Honolulu medical examiner’s office identified him as Hiram Silva, 59.
Philip Ganaban, chair of the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board, has said Silva's neighbors have long complained about large parties at the venue Silva rented out. On the night of the shooting, the neighbors, concerned about children at their carport gathering, complained that people renting Silva's space were speeding and “burning rubber” on the road.
Green said he's looking into legal action over Silva's party venue.
Police found that the front-end loader was carrying four 55-gallon drums of fuel. Witnesses reported he also shot rounds at the drums, police said.