Update: Judge maintains bail for Waikōloa man charged with attempted murder following shooting in South Kohala

Update at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 3: A Kona District Court judge maintained bail on a Waikōloa man facing a myriad of charges, including attempted murder after shooting at a vehicle while driving on Akoni Pule Highway in South Kohala on Dec. 30.

Alexander Alika Akau III, 39, appeared before District Court Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya on Tuesday. The defense attorney requested supervised release or a bail reduction, which the Hawai‘i County prosecutor objected to.

Tsuchiya ultimately maintained bail at $57,250 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Original post: A Waikōloa man arrested in connection to a shooting in Kawaihae was charged with attempted murder.

Alexander Alika Akau III, 39, is slated to appear in Kona District Court on Tuesday for the following offenses:

• Second-degree attempted murder
• First-degree reckless endangering
• Carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on a public highway
• Reckless driving

He remains in custody in lieu of $57,250 bail.

Charges stem from an incident that occurred at approximately 3:55 a.m. on Saturday. According to Hawai‘i Island police, South Kohala patrol responded to an area known as LSD beach near Kawaihae Harbor after a 29-year-old Kapa‘au man reported that a few minutes before calling dispatch, he was shot at while driving his vehicle on Akoni Pule Highway.

Police determined the reported victim was driving south in the area of the entrance to Kohala Ranch when he encountered a sedan also traveling south on the 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,” according to police. “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, Akau, was an acquaintance of the victim. At 3:35 p.m. the same day, he was taken into custody without incident at a Waikōloa residence.

The 39-year-old was transported to the Kona Police Station’s Cellblock as 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 station.

On Sunday, 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.

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 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.