KEALAKEKUA — Two men reportedly shot by an Ocean View man earlier this month testified that at no point did they trespass onto the defendant’s property the night of the incident.
A preliminary hearing for Albert Walter Todd, accused of reckless endangerment, was continued to April as two of the witnesses were unable to take the stand before District Court closed Thursday.
On the night of March 5, the first victim, Randall Chase, came into the courtroom on crutches. Once taking the stand, he testified he was on his friend’s property with his girlfriend, Sheilofohaw Dang.
The property belongs to Jackie Holder, which is located on the block 92-2100 of Aloha Boulevard in Ocean View Estates subdivision of Kau. According to a diagram drawn out in court by Dang, Todd’s property was mauka of Holder’s.
Chase told the court he had heard multiple gunshots earlier in the evening.
“I heard at least 10 gunshots,” Chase said.
On the night of the incident, Chase and Dang walked down the driveway toward Aloha Boulevard to walk home between 10 and 10:30 p.m., when they heard another shot. Chase testified he felt something hit his leg and he felt pain. They walked back to Holder’s house and discovered the gunshot wound through his upper right thigh.
Anthony McPhearson was next to take the stand. He hobbled in on crutches with a boot around his left foot. The 31-year-old is friends with Chase and has been in a relationship with Holder.
McPhearson had been working on his truck by Holder’s house when Chase and Dang came back up the driveway. After seeing Chase’s injury, he testified that he went to get help.
McPhearson automatically thought of Todd as someone to go to. He told the court he had been to the defendant’s home, smoked weed with him in the past and talked story.
The 31-year-old testified that Todd shoots guns every night.
“I was under the pretense that this was all an accident,” McPhearson told the court.
However, when he walked down Aloha Boulevard toward Todd’s driveway, McPhearson stated the 64-year-old man had a gun.
“He was aiming at my head telling me to leave,” McPhearson stated.
McPhearson told the court Todd hit him in the forehead with the barrel of the gun. Then as he turned to leave, the defendant struck him in the back of the head with the butt of the weapon.
Then Todd reportedly shot McPhearson in his left foot’s big toe.
“He just kept repeating: ‘you f—- haole,’” McPhearson told the court. “I was utterly in shock. He was always welcoming and treated me with respect.”
McPhearson did recall conflict between Todd and Holder after Holder’s goats had gotten loose and eaten some of the defendant’s marijuana plants.
David Greco is Holder’s neighbor on the makai side. He also took the stand. He testified that he’s known Todd for several years and has known him to have and shoot guns.
On the night of the incident, Greco told the court, he heard 10 to 12 shots around 9-9:15 p.m., with one ricocheting off his property.
Later, the neighbor heard the yelling: “F-U haole.”
Greco said he learned of the shooting when Holder called him to her house to help.
Holder was last to take the stand. She told the court she was picking up food for her goats with a friend when she heard shots.
Holder said she got a call from McPhearson about the shooting, and as she was driving back home, she saw him walking toward Todd’s driveway.
When she got home, Holder said, she heard more shots and yelling.
Holder testified she later distinctly heard McPhearson yelling: “Why are you doing this?”
She also heard him yell in pain.
Holder said Todd seemed like a cool neighbor at first. She testified that the goats were a problem at one point because they used to roam, which they no longer do.
All witnesses testified they at no point were on Todd’s property.
The preliminary hearing was continued to April 3. Todd is currently out on bail on supervised release.
Case in point why gun control is needed
case in point…why you need guns for self defense against phycos like this dude
I disagree. I’d rather the psycho not have a gun to begin with. If the victims in this case had a gun, there’s a good chance they either wouldn’t have had it on them during the incident (should be stored away safely at home) and it they happened to have it on them, it probably would have ended more tragically, with at least 1 person dead. There’s a good chance the defendant could have shot back and missed, or since the defendant was not a psycho would get cold feet and just threatened to shoot, and then instinctively the psycho would have felt their life was threatened (it would be) and then shoot the victim in the head, killing them. No one is safer with guns everywhere. Look at the stats.
Most of the country has progressed since the wild west cowboy days when everyone had a gun on them. As a civilization, we’ve decided that that gun-slinging way of living is for movies now, and we like a safer world where we live longer and don’t have to worry about being shot when we cross paths with a villain, as was the case here. In most of the civilized world, the average person does not have a gun. This is an American problem. It seems like we have the same fear — being shot — but you are looking to add to the problem — more guns.
What a load of liberal crap. Cringe if you want to, do not try and make those that refuse to disarm.
Nope. I want the police to disarm those that shouldn’t have guns, period. Before I or my family get shot. You should see a therapist on why you feel you need a gun. Or play violent video games if you must to get your fix.
Cops are far more likely to shoot you if you call them, happens constantly.
You up to telling someone to their face they need a therapist? You brave liberal keyboard commandos. if you really believe your rhetoric, live up to it.
Nope, I wouldn’t talk to you in person because you own a gun. I don’t trust your judgment that you won’t shoot me if it gets heated. That’s the problem. If everyone has a gun, we’re all less safe. Maybe the gun in this article isn’t really a “psycho”, just a person who lost his temper and made a mistake. I don’t trust you wouldn’t do that. You haven’t even passed a rigorous background check; maybe you have a history of violence. I don’t want to be around someone who in a split decision can easily kill or gravely injure me by doing something as simple of moving their finger a few cm from afar…
The story has it all: Illegal drugs, illegal guns, nightly bullet barrages, racism, paranoia, goats munching weed, neighbors mingling and shooting each other.
Oceanview at its finest.
ahhhhh goats…yes….good one
this phyco needs to be put away for good..unless the judge lets him out on 100 $ bond……prison off island….get this idiot off Hawaiian lands
No Aloha on Aloha boulevard.
Anyone reading that mess can see a whole lot more was going on than what they claim. The perps had time to get their story together. Something they were up to triggered the old guy.