1-01-24 (Update) Suspect Charged in S. Kohala Attempted Murder Investigation
Hawai‘i Police Department
Area II Criminal Investigation Section
Detective Donovan Kohara
Phone: (808) 960-3118
Report No.: 23-122788
Media Release
Detectives with Hawaii Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section (CIS) have charged 39-year-old Alexander Alika Akau III of Waikoloa following a shooting incident in Kawaihae in the early morning hours on Saturday, December 30, 2023.
On Sunday evening, December 31, 2023, after conferring with the County Prosecutors Office, Area II CIS detectives charged Akau III with the following offenses:
- Second-degree attempted murder
- First-degree reckless endangering
- Carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on a public highway
- Reckless driving
His bail was set at $57,250.
The charges against Akau III stem from an incident reported on December 30, 2023, at approximately 3:55 a.m., when South Kohala patrol officers responded to an area known as LSD beach near Kawaihae Harbor after a 29-year-old Kapa‘au man reported that a few minutes prior to calling dispatch, he was shot at while driving his vehicle on Akoni Pule Highway.
Police determined the victim was travelling southbound on Akoni Pule Highway in the area of the entrance to Kohala Ranch when he encountered a sedan also travelling south on Akoni Pule Highway driving erratically. The victim overtook the sedan at which time the operator of the sedan brandished a firearm and discharged it in the direction of the victim’s vehicle. The victim’s vehicle, a mid-sized sports utility vehicle, sustained damage as a result of the gunshot, however the victim was not injured.
In the course of the investigation, police determined the suspect, Alexander Alika Akau III, was an acquaintance of the victim.
At 3:35 p.m. on December 30, 2023, Akau III was taken into custody without incident at a Waikoloa residence. He was transported to the Kona Police Station’s Cellblock as Area II CIS detectives continued investigating the shooting. A vehicle believed to be the vehicle Akau III was driving earlier in the day was also recovered and towed to the Kona Police Station.
On Sunday December 31, police executed a search warrant on the recovered vehicle, resulting in the recovery of a spent shotgun round and numerous live shotgun rounds. No firearm was recovered during the execution of the search warrant.
Akau III remains in police custody pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Tuesday, January 2, 2024, in Kona District Court.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Acting Detective Joel Furuto at (808) 326-4646 ext. 281; or via email at joel.furuto@hawaiicounty.gov. They may also contact the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
Citizens who wish to remain anonymous can make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers does not record any calls or subscribe to caller ID.
