A 52-year-old Waipahu man accused of repeatedly firing a rifle at a neighbor’s apartment, with two children and their parents inside, made his initial appearance in court Tuesday.
Scott Vidinha of Kahakea Street was charged Monday with attempted first-degree murder, a firearm offense and first-degree reckless endangering. He remained at the Oahu Community Correctional Center on Tuesday, unable to post $1 million bail.
The shooting occurred at about 3:45 p.m. Saturday, according to a police affidavit filed Tuesday in District Court in Honolulu.
Two boys were carrying groceries to their apartment when Vidinha approached and made sexual comments to one boy, the affidavit said. Vidinha asked the second boy to come over to his house and drink.
When the boys told their mother about Vidinha’s comments, she told Vidinha that she was going to call police.
Shortly thereafter Vidinha returned to the stairs fronting the family’s home and took off his clothes, the affidavit said. Naked, Vidinha made gun gestures with his finger and allegedly said he was going to shoot the woman and her family through the wall.
Soon after the woman went inside her home to call police, Vidinha emerged from his apartment with a black rifle and appeared to be loading it.
The family was trying to hide when they heard gunshots enter their home and shatter glass, the document said. The woman told police a bullet grazed her left arm as she was pushing her children into the bathroom.
Neighbors told police they saw Vidinha reload his rifle three times. One neighbor said Vidinha discharged two magazines on the stairway fronting the family’s apartment and a third magazine directly into the front of the apartment.
Vidinha was inside his apartment when police officers arrived. According to the affidavit, he surrendered and told police he had fired the gun.