Disagreement between neighbors in Hawaii prompts shooting that leaves 4 dead, 2 injured

A dispute Saturday night between neighbors in Hawaii escalated to a shooting that left four people dead after one man attempted to use a front-end loader to push multiple cars into a home, according to police.

The 58-year-old man driving the front-end loader, a massive construction vehicle used to scoop and haul materials, is suspected of killing three women before another man shot and killed him, Honolulu police said Sunday in a news release. Two other people were also shot and critically wounded.

Police took a 42-year-old man into custody at the scene and charged him with second-degree murder in the death of the other gunman, according to a statement.

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Honolulu shooting leaves 4 dead, 2 injured

Honolulu officers were dispatched at 11:15 p.m. Saturday to a residence in Waianae after receiving multiple 911 calls about a neighbor using the front-end loader to "ram multiple cars into the home," police said.

Before police arrived, the suspect operating the heavy machinery opened fire on several people in the carport who attempted to flee, police said.

Among those killed in the gunfire were three women, ages 29, 34 and 36.

A 31-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were transported to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for life-threatening injuries sustained in the shooting, police said. It was not immediately clear whether they were expected to survive.

During the confrontation, a man who lived at the home fatally shot the suspect with a handgun, police said.

Investigators later discovered that the suspect had also been attempting to shoot at four 55-gallon drums being hauled in the front-end loader "containing an unknown fuel," police said. The Honolulu Fire Department’s Hazmat team was eventually called in to safely remove the drums.

Police have not yet identified any of the victims or the two men who exchanged gunfire. USA TODAY left a message Monday morning for Honolulu police that was not immediately returned.

Honolulu police had responded to another dispute in 2023

Lt. Deena Thoemmes said at a Sunday news conference that in 2023, police responded to a previous incident involving a disagreement between the same neighbors, local outlets reported.

In a statement Monday to USA TODAY, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the shooting is "a painful reminder of the violence that has impacted Waianae too often in recent weeks.”

Referencing four other "high-profile" shootings in the area in the past month, Blangiardi called on the city and county governments to take urgent action.

“I am deeply saddened and alarmed by the tragic shooting that occurred last night in Waianae," Blangiardi said in his statement. "This incident, involving neighbors, has shaken our community to its core ... it is crucial that we come together as a community to support one another and take meaningful steps to prevent these tragedies."

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com