A 39 year-old Waikoloa man has been charged with numerous offenses following a shooting incident in Kawaihae in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 30.
Detectives with Hawaii Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section charged Alexander Alika Akau III with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree reckless endangering, carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on a public highway and reckless driving.
His bail was set at $57,250.
The charges against Akau resulted from an incident reported at approximately 3:55 a.m. Saturday when South Kohala patrol officers responded to an area known as LSD beach near Kawaihae Harbor after a 29-year-old Kapa‘au man reported that a few minutes prior to calling dispatch, he was shot at while driving his vehicle on Akoni Pule Highway.
Police determined the victim was traveling southbound on Akoni Pule Highway in the area of the entrance to Kohala Ranch when he encountered a sedan, also traveling south on Akoni Pule Highway, driving erratically.
According to police, the victim overtook the sedan driven by Akau who brandished a firearm, determined to be a shotgun and fired it in the direction of the victim’s vehicle. The victim’s vehicle, a mid-sized sports utility vehicle, sustained damage as a result of the gunshot, however the victim was not injured.
In the course of the investigation, police determined Akau was an acquaintance of the victim.
Akau was located and taken into custody without incident at a Waikoloa residence. He was transported to the Kona Police Station as Area II CIS detectives continued investigating the shooting. A vehicle believed to be the one Akau was driving earlier in the day was also recovered and towed to the Kona Police Station.
On Sunday December 31, police executed a search warrant on the recovered vehicle, resulting in the recovery of a spent shotgun round and numerous live shotgun rounds. No firearm was recovered during the execution of the search warrant.
Akau made his initial court appearance Tuesday in Kona District Court, North Kohala Division with Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya maintaining bail. A preliminary hearing is set for today.
Second-degree attempted murder, the most serious of the charges against Akau, carries a sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, if found guilty.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Acting Detective Joel Furuto at (808) 326-4646 ext. 281; or via email at joel.furuto@hawaiicounty.gov. They may also contact the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Citizens who wish to remain anonymous can make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
