Hawai‘i Island police arrested and charged a 17-year-old male after he brought a weapon to the Kamehameha Schools campus in Kea‘au on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Puna patrol responded to a report of a student possibly in possession of a revolver at the high school campus. Arriving officers learned that school security already detained the juvenile suspect and had retrieved a revolver from the student.
Police contacted Kamehameha Schools administrators who reported that there was a social media post with a photograph of the juvenile suspect with the revolver which was viewed by other students on campus. After seeing the social media post, school administrators became concerned for the safety of the students and faculty, and campus security contacted the juvenile and the revolver was found in his waistband. The juvenile did not brandish the firearm at anyone and Kamehameha School was not locked down during this incident.
The student was arrested for disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening in the first degree and transported to the Pahoa police station. Upon examining the pistol, it was determined to be a “starter” gun that cannot fire projectiles due to the barrel being obstructed by a piece of welded metal inside the barrel. However, the weapon resembled an authentic gun.
After conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, the juvenile was charged with terroristic threatening in the first-degree and disorderly conduct. He was released to his guardian.
“Though this firearm was not loaded or operational, we treat these types of threats to our schools seriously and will aggressively prosecute these types of incidents,” said Puna District Captain Scott Amaral.
“Working in cooperation with Kamehameha Schools, this incident was resolved quickly and peacefully with minimal interruption to school functions. Our children deserve to be able to learn and grow in a safe environment and not be afraid of gun violence.”
Police encourage students to immediately report to an adult if someone they know has brought a weapon on campus.
The following email was sent to the parents of Kamehameha School Students:
“Aloha nui e ko Kamehameha Hawaiʻi ē,
This afternoon, a high school student was taken into custody by the Hawaiʻi Police Department (HPD) following a serious violation of our code of conduct.
Administration was made aware of a student in possession of a firearm on campus and security was alerted. Appropriate safety protocols were followed. The matter was turned over to law enforcement. HPD officers were able to determine that the pistol in question was a starter pistol typically used at a track meet to start races and is only capable of firing blanks.
The matter remains under investigation and no further details are available at this time. Once the full extent of details are known, appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken in accordance with our code of conduct. The student is currently on administrative leave indefinitely and will not be permitted on campus. We pray for strength and guidance for this student and the student’s ʻohana to work through this crisis.
We know that this type of situation can be unsettling and encourage anyone needing any additional support to connect with a counselor or administrator. The safety and well-being of our campus community is our core commitment. Our entire organization holds this as our highest priority and sacred kuleana.
Mālama pono!”
Police ask anyone who may have information relative to this case to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311 or Officer Robert Kamau of Puna Patrol at (808) 965-2716 or email him at Robert.Kamau@hawaiicounty.gov.
