A second person wanted in connection with a
March 16 shootout in Waikiki that shattered a store window and rattled the community turned himself in Tuesday.
The boy, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was arrested by officers from the District 5 Crime Reduction Unit “without incident.”
“After his arrest he was released pending further investigation. This case will be conferred with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney,” read a highlight from the department.
Ngaselo Nethon, 19, was charged with first-degree reckless endangering and a firearm offense in connection with the shooting.
His bail was set at $100,000. Nathan posted
bail March 24.
According to HPD, Nethon was shooting a gun in Waikiki at 9:42 p.m. on March 16 at the corner of Kalakaua and Seaside avenues, which “placed people nearby in danger of death or injury.”
No injuries were reported in the shooting, but a window at a nearby business was blown out by bullets.
At the time, police did not publicly disclose the shooting in the heart of Honolulu’s visitor district, drawing criticism from lawmakers and residents.
HPD Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan, speaking to Honolulu police commissioners during their March 19 meeting, detailed that during the late evening hours the weekend prior there was a “shooting in Waikiki that social media has now posted multiple videos.”
“We continue to strive to put out timely and accurate information to the public and we are able to do that most of the time. In this incident, we fell short,” Logan said.
Officers who arrived at the scene after the 911 call found multiple shell casings and a window and a building damaged “based on the rounds impacting,” Logan said. Witnesses described the suspects to responding officers.
Officers did not have immediate access to surveillance footage from the surrounding residences and businesses.
“Everyone left the scene in different directions,” Logan said. “They (officers) found no indication of an
active or ongoing threat.”
“In hindsight, we should have put out a little bit more information to the public, no matter how limited,”
Logan told commissioners. “We checked all the hospitals, there was nobody in it for a gunshot wound. There was nobody complaining they got shot at. It was crickets out there as far as what happened.”
Logan said he spoke with his chain of command about where the communication breakdown occurred and “how we’re going to fix this.”
Because no one was injured or filed a formal complaint about gunfire, officers were left with nowhere to go with their investigation once they did not find suspects or witnesses at the scene.
At that point they “dropped the ball” when the incident was not elevated to the attention of HPD’s leadership team, Logan said.
“If there is a shooting in Waikiki, that’s one of my
criteria for … wake me up in the middle of the night if something like this happens. I need to know … It’s a high-profile area,” said
Logan, noting that he wants to know about shootings in every area of Oahu.
“I’ve had conversations with those that are in charge (of the patrol area and shift),” Logan said.
The social media footage posted online with audio suggested multiple guns firing at once or an automatic weapon but police did not yet know, Logan said.
“There’s no pictures of a gun yet,” Logan said.
Commissioner Ann Botticelli told Logan the department’s social media efforts have improved and thanked him for his continued efforts to improve communication with the public.
She urged the police chief to redouble efforts to be the “first source and the lead source” of information about violent incidents that impact public safety.
“That’s real important,” said Botticelli, a retired communications and community relations executive and former journalist.
