Puna Man Charged in Tuesday’s Spear Gun Attack

A 49-year-old man accused of shooting another man with a spear gun in a Puna subdivision earlier this week was charged Thursday night with second-degree attempted murder.

George Curnett was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail pending his initial court appearance this afternoon.

Curnett is accused of shooting a 20-year-old man in the chest with a fishing spear at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday during a confrontation at a property on Leilani Avenue, the main road in Leilani Estates.

The victim underwent surgery at Hilo Medical Center late Tuesday. He was initially listed as critical but has since been upgraded to stable condition, said Lt. Greg Esteban of the Criminal Investigation Section.

A 61-year-old woman who sustained a leg injury during the confrontation after allegedly being hit by a large rock was treated at the hospital and released. No charges have yet been filed as a result of that.

Police said tuesday’s incident occurred at a property with multiple dwellings. Curnutt and the woman, described as an acquaintance of Curnutt, shared one of the dwellings, while the man who suffered the spear gun attack lived in another.