Kashka Otto, a 22-year-old graduate of Nanakuli High School from whom the best was expected, was tragically stabbed to death on Sunday morning, during an altercation that developed while working his shift at Wendy’s in Nanakuli.

Otto had asked a homeless man to stop moving furniture in the eatery, and escorted him outside, with a co-worker. An argument ignited. Otto, a high school athlete, threw a punch. The man pulled a knife — killing Otto and seriously injuring his co-worker.

The suspect, 60-year-old Reynaldo Cheney, lived in a tent at a Leeward Oahu beach park. He has more than a dozen citations for breaking park rules, illegal camping and other violations related to living on public land. An outstanding warrant for his arrest was issued on May 15 — and at 6’4” and 350 pounds, should have been easy enough to find and arrest.

By all accounts, Otto was kind and respectful, remembered for his team spirit as a student volleyball player, but also for his positive outlook, which buoyed the community. Now he’s being referred to as “the latest murder victim on the West Side,” as reported by a local TV station.

Amid a recent spate of West Oahu violence, this tragedy adds to the depth of dangers and frustrations that people in the area endure. More than ever before, they must assume that any confrontation can turn deadly, and avoid risky scenarios if at all possible.

Increasingly, retailers need to train employees to disengage from confrontations with customers or intruders in a place of business; instead, for safety’s sake, calling 911 would be the prudent thing to do. Concerningly, though, even that might not bring an immediate response due to lack of police staffing for the West Side.

Beyond that, clearly, it’s essential that lawlessness not be tolerated or seen as “business as usual.”

“If it’s just shoplifting, they know they’re going to get away with it,” said Tina Yamaki of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, to KHON-TV. “And now they’re carrying boxcutters, they’re carrying syringes with unknown liquids in them. One guy even pulled out a machete.”

Honolulu has potentially effective tools at the ready. Newly reelected Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm has long advocated for a “weed and seed” approach in crime-ridden communities, combining assertive and continuing enforcement of the law with services for offenders.

In Chinatown, where many offenders have underlying addiction and/or mental health problems, a project called “Substance Use Disorder Assessment Fast” (SUDA-Fast), focuses on referring offenders to drug and mental health assessment at the beginning of the process, so that services for those who need it can be included in sentencing and probation.

Alm told the Star-Advertiser Tuesday that he also favors an approach to probation that pairs intensive monitoring with swift and certain jail time for violations. He’s been working to bring Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement — HOPE — back in Honolulu, after the program was largely abandoned during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling HOPE “the single-most effective strategy for reducing arrests for new crimes and probation failures.”

The top need for all such programs is dedicated funding. That funding must be identified, and directed, to the West Side. Weed & Seed, SUDA-Fast and HOPE probation programs all can be adapted to the Waianae Coast.

Alm had no immediate comment on Otto’s death. But he said he will be advocating for expanded action on the Waianae Coast that is tailored to its communities. This needs to happen, without further delay.

Cheney has now been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder — but no legal action will bring Otto back. And that loss strikes hard at the fragile sense of community and perception of security for residents on the West Side.

“It’s tragic,” said state Rep. Darius Kila, who represents Nanakuli in the Legislature. “We ask our local people to go to work, we ask them to be contributing members of society. Let alone our young people too, right? And they go to work, and they plan to go home that day. And [Otto] is not coming home.”