Honokaa man accused of nonfatal crossbow shooting at Hapuna
Police say DNA evidence led them to charge a 32-year-old Honokaa man for the nonfatal shooting of a woman with an arrow Sept. 6 in the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area parking lot.
Gimmy Palafox Ventura was arrested Wednesday at his home and charged with second-degree assault, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
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According to court documents filed by police, the victim, a 31-year-old woman, suffered a 5-inch laceration on her left bicep that required four internal stitches and 11 external stitches after being shot at about 7:30 that evening.
The arrow that injured the woman reportedly lodged in her vehicle after injuring her. Police removed the arrow and sent it to the Honolulu Police Department’s crime lab for DNA analysis.
DNA found on the arrow’s shaft matched that of Ventura, police said.
Police on Wednesday executed search warrants on Ventura’s home and his 2023 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.
According to police, the searches resulted in the recovery of two arrows located in Ventura’s bedroom. A crossbow, six additional arrows, numerous arrow tips and fletching — the feathers used in arrow-making — were recovered from Ventura’s truck.
Ventura’s bail was set at $2,000.
Documents didn’t provide a motive or state whether Ventura and the victim are acquainted.
At Ventura’s initial court appearance Friday, Deputy Public Defender Nicole O’Kief requested Ventura be freed on his own recognizance or on supervised release — forms of cashless bail. Deputy Prosecutor Brit Barker requested Ventura’s bail be maintained.
South Kohala District Judge David Harada-Stone granted supervised release to Ventura, with the conditions that he have no contact with the victim, stay 100 yards from her home, workplace and Hapuna beach, and to undergo a mental health assessment and to follow any recommended treatments within a week.
The judge also ordered Ventura to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 2.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
