Gunshots in Beachlots

[leilaniguy]

It was on Kumakahi road, both men lived on Kumakahi. The cops are still there. The dead guys tractor is still partially blocking the road. I stopped on my way home to ask if the dog was taken care of, cop said yes. Victim is Bryan Thompson 56. Rick Edwards "took his woman" -that was the dispute. The two had been fighting since meeting up by accident at the mailboxes.

[leilaniguy]

Who said he was shot twice?

[Obie]

You did !

A friend in Vacationland told me he got shot twice also.

[leilaniguy]

I said I heard two gunshots, that's all. One may have been a warning, I don't know otherwise.

[Kapoho Joe]

quote:

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Originally posted by leilanidude

In most states, a coroner doesn't need a medical degree.

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Shockingly true, and really quite surprising considering the amount of medical knowledge one would want a coroner to have.

[opihikao]

FYI: (Update)


JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald

A fatal shooting early Monday evening in lower Puna might have been the deadly result of a love triangle.

Sources, who asked not to be named, identified the victim as 57-year-old Bryan Thomas, a neighbor of the alleged shooter, Richard “Rick” R. Edwards, in the gated Kapoho Beach Lots subdivision. They said the 72-year-old Edwards was romantically involved with Thomas’ former girlfriend.

Capt. Robert Wagner of the Hilo Criminal Investigation Division said Tuesday police were withholding the identity of the victim pending notification of mainland relatives.

According to media reports, Thomas went to Edwards’ home on Kumukahi Road to confront Edwards with a baseball bat, and fell victim to a 12-gauge shotgun blast. Wagner declined to confirm some of the details in those reports.

“The victim did go over to the suspect’s house,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what happened. But we do know he went over to the suspect’s house and he did seem to have an issue with the suspect when he went over there.”

Edwards reportedly called 911 at 5:14 p.m. Monday to inform police of the shooting. Thomas was reportedly found unresponsive, face down in the driveway.

Edwards was arrested Monday night on suspicion of second-degree murder and was being held pending further investigation by detectives. He had not been charged as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or contact Detective Dean Uyetake at 961-2379 or dean.uyetake@hawaiicounty.gov. Those who prefer anonymity may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

[Chunkster]

Opihikao's update leaves me with two questions. First, how does the local paper justify publishing the victim's name when his relatives have not been informed? Second, how long can they hold the shooter without charging him?

[MarkP]

I don't consider this an example of how the proliferation of guns is causing undue risk to society. There may be more to it but on the face of it some guy threatened another guy with violence because a third party made a voluntary choice that he didn't like. The other guy responded in kind. There is little room for surprise or outrage here. I would absolutely never have been the guy with the bat and I probably would not have been the guy with the 12 gauge. I probably would have barricaded myself inside and called the police. I'm not happy that people in my neighborhood handle disputes this way but that is another issue.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I probably would have barricaded myself inside and called the police.

A reasonable solution that most people would take.
How many of us on Punaweb are in the midst of a three way love quarrel? How many of us would choose to solve it with a baseball bat? Probably very few if any. If that's the case, the only thing the average person needs to worry about is if the shooter misses, and your home is next door in a subdivision with small lots. I'm on an acre in HPP, I'm not going to worry about something like this affecting my day to day life. It's not the new normal on Hawaii Island.

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard

[Obie]

Confirmation of 2 gunshot wounds.

"Media Release

Hawai#699;i Island police have identified the victim of a fatal shooting Monday (March 7) in the Kapoho Beach Lots subdivision as 56-year-old Bryan Lynn Thomas of Kapoho.

The medical examiner determined that Thomas died of gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest.

Seventy-two-year-old Richard R. Edwards of Kapoho, who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of second-degree murder, remains at the Hilo police cellblock while detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigations Section continue the investigation."