Before he was killed, Kollin K. Elderts was at a nightclub where he got into an altercation with the federal agent who later followed Elderts to a Waikiki McDonald’s and allegedly shot him, the attorney for the victim’s family said Sunday.
The claim provides one of the only on-the-record, detailed accounts so far of what might have occurred early Saturday morning when a confrontation between four men, including Elderts and Christopher W. Deedy, ended with Elderts being fatally shot in the chest.
Deedy, 27, an off-duty special agent with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, was arrested shortly after the 2:44 a.m. shooting. He was charged Sunday night with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. His bail was set at $250,000.
He remained in custody Sunday night.
Attorney Michael Green has been retained by Elderts’ mother in Hilo and plans to seek surveillance videos around Waikiki to see what led to Saturday morning’s shooting in front of the Kuhio Avenue McDonald’s.
Elderts’ mother told Green that her son "was in a club and got into a beef with a guy who turned out to be a federal agent," Green said. "The guy followed him (Elderts) to McDonald’s and shot him once in the chest."
Green did not know the name of the nightclub nor any other details about the shooting. "Nothing good happens at 3 o’clock," Green added.
Green said it’s unusual for police to arrest fellow law enforcement officers following a shooting.
"Normally they would detain him and take his gun," he said. "Instead, they arrested him."
Police likely conducted a blood alcohol test on Deedy, Green said.
"We can’t wait to see those test results," he said.
Elderts, 23, was a graduate of Kalaheo High School. His criminal record consists of a 2008 disorderly conduct violation, for which he was ordered to pay $150, and a 2010 petty misdemeanor for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, for which he paid a $30 Criminal Injuries Compensation fee and a $300 fine.
Government and law enforcement officials have been conspicuously silent on the shooting.
State Department officials refused to confirm that Deedy, based in Washington, D.C., was on Oahu for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which begins Tuesday.
A department spokeswoman declined comment Sunday on Deedy’s arrest, saying she would not discuss an ongoing investigation.
Honolulu Police Department officials have also declined to address the case beyond a terse entry in their log of daily highlights.
The official synopsis of the incident reads, "Four (4) males were involved in a confrontation when the victim suffered a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital where pronouncement was made. The suspect was identified at the scene and subsequently arrested for the above offense."
