Posts: 12,616
Threads: 821
Joined: Sep 2012
10-10-2026, 07:26 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-11-2026, 04:47 PM by HereOnThePrimalEdge.)
HPP turned out to be more deadly than US Army combat, in a war zone...
There's certainly some truth, some irony to this observation.
In a war zone your guard is up, and the expectation is that you will often meet people who are armed, some to protect you, some attempting harm.
In HPP, at a party, perhaps after some food and refreshments, thousands of miles away from duty in a former danger zone, unarmed in the company of fellow citizens the furthest thought to enter your mind might be that one of them would pull a gun on you.
That was probably a safe assumption until recently when a group generally claiming they advocate for states rights overturned the right of the state of Hawaii to enact their own weapons laws with the argument and claim that less restrictions were needed for self defense. In the case discussed in this thread a guy with a gun claims he self defended himself from an unarmed man at a party, a man who can no longer testify with his side of the story.
Out of curiosity, since Hawaii’s previous and functional weapon laws were overturned, how many cases of armed self defense have occurred in Puna, on Big Island, or in Hawaii?
Posts: 2,955
Threads: 88
Joined: May 2023
To add a little extra to what HOTPE has said above and also based upon the reports known to date it does sound as if the victim in this case was possibly suffering from a form of PTSD - possibly acquired from his service.
Where was HIS medical care? Physical and psychological? While in no way excusing the shooter here, but could the Veteran's Administration have contributed to this unfortunate incident?
“I could say the stupidest things and you’d clap”
-DJT
Posts: 1,743
Threads: 66
Joined: Mar 2022
10-10-2026, 08:15 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-10-2026, 08:21 PM by Punatang.)
The good news is that, empirically (based upon data & facts), the level of gun violence in Hawaiian Paradise Park thankfully has been reduced, substantially, from the treacherous peak reached in 2024:
[*]Attempted murder shooting (April 19, 2024): Disturbance at a residence on 7th Avenue. An acquaintance allegedly threatened people with a knife/bottle then left. Shortly after, a 32-year-old man was found shot multiple times near 6th Avenue and Makuu Drive. Suspect Vasiliy Viktorovich Trubachev (31, of Keaau) arrested at the 7th Avenue residence. Classified as second-degree attempted murder investigation; victim hospitalized in stable condition. Trubachev later pleaded not guilty.
KITV / Island News and Hawaii Tribune-Herald (April 19 & 29, 2024).
[*]Apparent suicide during search warrant (May 23/24, 2024): During execution of a search warrant on the 15-2000 block of 15th Avenue (linked to a missing-person case), officers heard a gunshot. SWAT and crisis negotiators responded. A man was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound; a firearm recovered.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald (May 24, 2024).
[*]Gunfire into occupied home (June 30, 2024; charges July 2024): Gunshots reported outside a residence on 29th Avenue. Bullets entered the home (occupied by 4 adults and 4 juveniles, including an infant). Suspect Louie Pira (40, of Puna) charged with eight counts of first-degree reckless endangering, five counts of first-degree terroristic threatening, place to keep pistol/revolver, and first-degree criminal property damage. Bail $90,000.
KPUA, Big Island Thieves, and related reports (July 2024).
[*]There was one incidence (that I am aware of) of an accidental firearm discharge in 2025 and of course the latest murder in Hawaiian Paradise Park recently which is the subject of this thread (2026)
"If we are too precise we will be called out because we cannot back it with data."- A.F.
Posts: 4,771
Threads: 119
Joined: Mar 2014
Where was HIS medical care? Physical and psychological? While in no way excusing the shooter here, but could the Veteran's Administration have contributed to this unfortunate incident?
---------
The VA does a lot, IF the person asks for help. VFW as well as American Legion both have people trained to help folks get the care they need and to help them navigate any paperwork.
Posts: 2,955
Threads: 88
Joined: May 2023
THE DUDE SAYS
The VA does a lot, IF the person asks for help. VFW as well as American Legion both have people trained to help folks get the care they need and to help them navigate any paperwork.
I thought I'd see what Google AI says about this topic, so I asked this question:
"Veterans Administration issues on the Big Island of Hawaii"
Veterans on Hawaii’s Big Island face key challenges related to remote health care access, provider shortages, local cemetery maintenance, and complex VA bureaucracy managed centrally from Oahu.
Main Issues Facing Big Island Veterans:
Health Care Access & Provider Shortages:
The VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System operates out of Oahu and services roughly 30,000 veterans across the neighbor islands. Island veterans frequently report difficulties, long wait times, and specialist shortages because of a general lack of local doctors and the high cost of recruiting medical staff.
Cemetery Maintenance and Conditions:
A 2021 audit by the VA Office of Inspector General highlighted critical issues at East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2 in Hilo, including unmapped gravesites, missing or misaligned headstones, and long-delayed permanent markers. In October 2026, the VA National Cemetery Administration awarded a $6,132,225 grant to the cemetery to fix and realign nearly 4,500 gravestones and restore the grounds.
Administrative & Payment Bottlenecks:
Veterans and advocates often cite cumbersome VA bureaucratic processes, payment system friction with community partners, and difficulties setting up or tracking benefits.
Housing, Mental Health, & Substance Support:
Local polls and community surveys show that housing instability, mental health resources, and substance abuse counseling remain top concerns, particularly for rural residents who must rely on telehealth or travel.
Some helpful links:
Big Island Now poll results: Veterans face myriad of issues living on Hawai‘i Island : Big Island Now
Neglected veterans cemetery in Hawaii gets more than $6 million for renovations | Stars and Stripes
Hawaii Veterans Say VA Bureaucracy Is Hampering Access To Health Care - Honolulu Civil Beat
At any event, victim blaming and shaming is so vogue these days.
“I could say the stupidest things and you’d clap”
-DJT
Posts: 1,675
Threads: 36
Joined: Jun 2020
At any event, blaming and shaming, as one wahine here is so wont to do, is an infantile way to behave.
Posts: 2,955
Threads: 88
Joined: May 2023
MYMANAO UTTERS
At any event, blaming and shaming, as one wahine here is so wont to do, is an infantile way to behave.
Says one Moke incapable of even following their own words.
(09-03-2026, 05:48 PM)MyManao Wrote: There's a Bicker Board for that.
“I could say the stupidest things and you’d clap”
-DJT
Posts: 2,168
Threads: 25
Joined: Oct 2016
(10-11-2026, 02:03 PM)leilanidude Wrote: Where was HIS medical care? Physical and psychological? While in no way excusing the shooter here, but could the Veteran's Administration have contributed to this unfortunate incident?
---------
The VA does a lot, IF the person asks for help. VFW as well as American Legion both have people trained to help folks get the care they need and to help them navigate any paperwork.
Have you ready anything supporting this supposition that the victim was mentally ill? It seems likely that self neglect is common with vets. Men tend to ignore health problems more than women, especially macho men. And of course, many people in general suffering from mental illness refuse treatment when it's offered.
Posts: 2,955
Threads: 88
Joined: May 2023
DF SAYS
Have you ready anything supporting this supposition that the victim was mentally ill?
As reported in WHT, the victim was an Army Vet, served several tours of duty and was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained from an IED. While I am not a doctor, I would think it's safe to say that after experiencing that, some form of PTSD would be prevalent.
Hearing set for man accused of killing Army combat vet in Puna - West Hawaii Today (may be behind paywall)
It seems likely that self neglect is common with vets. Men tend to ignore health problems more than women, especially macho men. And of course, many people in general suffering from mental illness refuse treatment when it's offered.
100% true. However, he was a US Army Veteran. In as much as some seem to think all the help he needed was but one simple phone call and a trip to the American Legion, a quick search provides dozens of Hawaii based news sources that more or less equate Veterans Health Care as dismal at best.
As one poster tried to assert, his life was in greater jeopardy in HPP than on the battlefield. What about "no man left behind?"
“I could say the stupidest things and you’d clap”
-DJT
Posts: 4,771
Threads: 119
Joined: Mar 2014
I thought I'd see what Google AI says about this topic, so I asked this question:
"Veterans Administration issues on the Big Island of Hawaii"
------------
The mere fact of you going to Google AI to know anything about VA care, says it all. You know nothing.
They have members who have had extensive training (provided by the national VFW) in VA systems, policies and procedures that help vets navigate the process for care and disability benefits. I won't list their names, but they are superb and have helped a couple of my friends in getting proper care as well as getting truly deserved, disability benefits approved. Changed their lives for the better.
ANY vet should reach out to them for any sort of help.
Lance Corporal Hayward Kimo Hamili Peleiholani Post
PO Box 1141
Pahoa, HI 96778
United States
(808) 468-5945
|
