A 37-year-old man remains hospitalized in critical condition after being shot twice during an apparent attempted murder-suicide Wednesday night in Ka’u.
A 37-year-old man remains hospitalized in critical condition after being shot twice during an apparent attempted murder-suicide Wednesday night in Ka’u.
The Hawaiian Ocean View Estates man, who is a single father of three, was listed in critical but stable condition as of Saturday afternoon at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, the man’s mother, Kay Martin, told Stephens Media Hawaii during a phone interview from her Oregon home. Stephens Media Hawaii is not naming her son in accordance with the newspaper’s policy of not identifying victims.
“Nothing has changed since Friday,” Martin said.
Martin said her son was shot twice in the back and suffered a severed spinal cord during the shooting at his Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision property. He remains heavily sedated and requires a ventilator for breathing.
“They don’t expect him to ever function below the waist again,” Martin said, later adding doctors told her when not under sedation, her son is able to respond to questions with a thumbs up or down to yes or no questions.
The 37-year-old was shot following an argument with a 48-year-old man, who lived in a separate dwelling on the same property located near the intersection of Tiki Lane and Luau Drive, according to the Hawaii Police Department, which responded about 7 p.m. to a reported shooting at the property.
Police say Martin’s son entered his home and was followed by the 48-year-old man who then shot the victim. The 48-year-old, whom police have not identified pending notification of next of kin, then stepped outside the home and fatally shot himself.
Following the incident, Martin’s son was flown to Kona Community Hospital and then medevaced to Queen’s, according to police.
Martin said her son is expected to undergo surgery Monday morning to relieve pressure on his lungs. She plans to arrive on Oahu to be with him Tuesday.
The victim, originally from Oregon, has been living with his children on Hawaii Island “off and on” for about seven years, Martin said. She said he moved to the island to live off the grid “in an area he loved.”
He was an active guy who enjoyed snowboarding and riding motorcycles, she added.
“He was the typical Oregonian wanting to live the Hawaiian life,” she said. “He did all the things that a young guy does.”
She later added, “They loved it. They loved it. But, at this point, we’re looking at probably bringing the kids back (to Oregon) and him, too, when he is ready.”
Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.