45-year-old Kiha Rodney Stone Kaahu of Pahoa was arrested and charged with terroristic threatening, numerous firearm-related, and other offenses following a violent altercation in the Leilani Estates subdivision in Pāhoa on Monday morning, November 21, 2022.
The charges against Kaahu stem from an incident reported shortly after 10:45 a.m. Monday, when Puna patrol officers responded to a residence on Luana Street in Leilani Estates for a reported shooting incident. Responding officers contacted the 20-year-old female victim who reported she and Kaahu were involved in a verbal argument when Kaahu pulled out a pistol, pointed it at her, and fired a single shot at her. The victim was not hit by the bullet and did not receive any injuries during the violent altercation. Kaahu and the victim are acquaintances.
Immediately after the shooting, Kaahu reportedly left the area as a passenger in a gray-colored older model Isuzu SUV-type vehicle.
The Area I Criminal Investigation Section was contacted to assist in this investigation and while enroute to the scene, detectives made checks at a residence on Maile Street in Leilani Estates that Kaahu is known to frequent. The Isuzu SUV was on the property and as officers approached, Kaahu was seen sleeping in the vehicle’s front passenger seat. He was subsequently arrested. Upon arrest, Kaahu had a butterfly knife in his pants pocket and a soft pistol case was observed at his feet on the vehicle floorboard.
The Isuzu was recovered as evidence and after obtaining a search warrant to search the vehicle, detectives later recovered the loaded un-serialized pistol, ammunition, and a minute amount of methamphetamine.
On Wednesday morning, November 23, 2022, after conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, detectives charged Kaahu with:
- first-degree terroristic threatening
- ownership or possession of firearm prohibited
- ownership or possession of ammunition prohibited
- place to keep pistol or revolver
- obtaining firearm with no serial number (ghost gun)
- carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on public highways
- butterfly knife prohibited
- third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug
His bail is set at $132,000.
In addition to the above-mentioned charges, Kaahu was also arrested and charged for the offense of discharge of sureties stemming from a previous incident in which he was charged with unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, first-degree theft, reckless driving, and third-degree promotion of a dangerous drug. Bail for those offenses remained at $40,000.
Kaahu remains in police custody pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Friday afternoon, November 25, 2022, in Hilo District Court.
Police are asking anyone who may have information relative to this incident to contact the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311, or Detective Jeremy Kubojiri at (808) 961-2378 or email him at Jeremy.Kubojiri@hawaiicounty.gov.