One person died after a shooting broke out in the parking lot of the Target store in Kailua, and Honolulu police say they now have an active homicide investigation underway. The shooting happened in front of the store, prompting a request for emergency medical services, and it unfolded just steps from a Kailua fall festival that was still going on nearby.
According to Hawaii News Now, multiple sources confirmed that a body was found in the Kailua Target parking lot. The station reports that police requested emergency medical services after shots were fired in front of the store, and that EMS did respond to the scene. The Honolulu Police Department opened a homicide investigation.
HPD’s Sept. 27 public update says officers responded just after 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 26. Police said two groups had been arguing at the festival before the dispute continued into the Target parking lot, where someone pulled a firearm. The department identified the person killed as a 30-year-old man and described the suspect as a local male in his late 20s, wearing a black sweater with his hair in two braids. HPD asked anyone with information to call 911 or CrimeStoppers.
Festival Crowd Was Just Steps Away
The timing added an unsettling layer to the incident: a Kailua fall festival was taking place near the Target parking lot from 5 to 10 p.m., putting festival-goers in close proximity to the shooting scene. Despite that, the outlet's report notes that festival attendees were ultimately able to head home as the situation was handled.
Per the same account, sources said a performer on stage at the festival announced that a suspect had been arrested. That detail has not been independently verified beyond the report, and further specifics about any arrest — including identity or charges — have not been released.
Investigation Still Early, Details Scarce
Police asked the public to avoid the area around the Target parking lot and to keep roadways clear, allowing first responders to operate safely and efficiently. Beyond confirming the death and the homicide investigation, authorities have not released details about what led up to the shooting.
The department’s statement describes a murder investigation but does not announce a formal charge. Under Hawaii’s second-degree murder statute, the offense involves intentionally or knowingly causing another person’s death. That statutory definition provides legal context; it does not establish that anyone has been charged or determine what investigators will ultimately conclude in this case.
The identity of the person killed has not been made public, and no additional information about the circumstances has surfaced. Hoodline will continue to follow this developing story out of Kailua as the Honolulu Police Department's investigation moves forward.
