Gunshots rang out in Waikīkī just before midnight Saturday, sending Honolulu Police officers racing to the scene and later into the neighboring McCully area, where they arrested three teenage boys. No one was hurt in the shooting, but the teens were arrested in connection with the incident.
According to the Honolulu Police Department, officers responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 11:45 p.m. Saturday and found evidence of a shooting, including damage to nearby property, as first reported by KITV. Police say the three male suspects, two 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old, were later located and taken into custody in the nearby McCully neighborhood. The department's account of the arrests provides the exact ages released for the case.
McCully sits directly across the Ala Wai Canal from Waikīkī, linked to the tourist district by footbridges and thoroughfares like McCully Street, per the same department account.
What the Teens Are Facing
All three boys were arrested for reckless endangering in the first degree, along with place-to-keep firearms and place-to-keep ammunition violations, the KITV report notes. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes § 707-713, reckless endangering in the first degree is a Class C felony that applies when someone intentionally discharges a firearm in a way that recklessly places another person in danger of death or serious injury, according to Justia Law.
Police have not released additional information about the case, and it remains unclear how the boys' cases will be handled through the juvenile justice system.
Part of a Wider Pattern on Oahu
Part of a Wider Pattern on Oahu The Waikīkī shooting arrives amid a string of recent gun incidents involving Oahu youth. KHON2 reported that a firearm was found in a boy's backpack at school and police were notified.
On September 19, Honolulu Police opened an attempted murder investigation after a 15-year-old boy was shot and seriously injured by a masked suspect in a parking lot in the Hālawa Housing area, as Hoodline reported at the time. That shooter fled in a sedan and has not been identified.
Crime Data Tells a Mixed Story
The cluster of cases lands against a backdrop of statewide numbers that cut in different directions. The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General reported on September 15 that total crime statewide dropped 11.6 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, even as offenses against society, a category that includes weapons law violations, rose 0.9 percent. The data was compiled from statewide police agency reporting under FBI NIBRS standards.
In July 2024, Hoodline reported that officers fatally shot a suspected bank robber on Ala Wai Boulevard following a barricade situation that stretched more than six hours near Liliʻuokalani Avenue.
No further details on the three teens' identities, the weapon involved, or their court status have been released. Police have not said whether the case will be handled in Family Court or referred elsewhere, and coverage of the incident is expected to continue as more information becomes available.
