Kaʻū man arrested, later released after man was shot in right thigh in Ocean View

A Kaʻū man was arrested and later released Monday, pending further investigation, after a man was shot in his right leg several days before in Ocean View.

Daniel Moriarty, 48, of Ocean View was arrested for second-degree assault in connection with an incident May 10 in which a 49-year-old Ocean View man reported being shot by Moriarty with a rusty black powder revolver.

Kaʻū patrol officers just before 3 p.m. May 10 responded to a report of three men yelling in the area of Coral Parkway, between King Kamehameha Boulevard and Tiki Lane. When they arrived at the scene, officers observed an argument taking place and saw one unidentified man who appeared to be bleeding, with blood running down his right pants leg.

Officers attempted to identify the man and were given the name “Johnny Depp.” The man told officers multiple times that he did not need police or medical attention and was uncooperative.

Kaʻū patrol officers received a transfer call just before 4 p.m. later that day from the Hawai‘i Fire Department, reporting a man was in the roadway claiming he was just shot. When they arrived, officers saw the same uncooperative man from the previous call, now with blood observed on his hands, face and legs.

The man was again asked if he needed police or medical assistance and said something to the effect of “No,” he was fine and heading home. Officers followed the man to his residence in the 92-8300 block of Bamboo Lane, where they spoke to his sister, who said her brother is mentally ill.

Officers informed her about what happened, reiterated that his injuries seemed serious and they wanted to speak to him in hopes of determining how he was injured. The injured man then informed officers that he cut his finger on a glass wine bottle, not mentioning anything being shot in the leg.

He again declined medical attention.

The injured man’s sister called police dispatch just before 5 p.m. later that day to request police and medical personnel return to their home after her brother informed her that he had been shot in the leg.

Officers were told he was shot in the leg by a man identified as Daniel Moriarty.

The injured man was re-interviewed by police, telling them he was initially assaulted by a man near where officers first contacted him and said he did not need police help at the time because he thought he could handle the situation himself.

The man said he went to Moriarty’s home for help because he was being assaulted by several other men. He knocked on Moriarty’s door and asked him for help, to which Moriarty told him something along the lines of, “Get out of here before I shoot you.”

The injured man said he was about to leave when Moriarty pulled out a black hand gun described as having a 7- to 8-inch barrel and shot him. He thought it was a black powder gun because there was a delay between when the trigger was pulled and smoke coming from the barrel.

The injured man was transported by ambulance to Kona Community Hospital. A bullet was lodged in his right thigh. There was muscle damage, but none to any bones or arteries.

The Hawai‘i Police Department Area II Criminal Investigative Section was notified and continued the investigation. Search warrants were prepared for Moriarty’s residence for his arrest.

Both warrants were executed just after 5 p.m. Monday. Moriarty was arrested without incident.

A rusty black powder revolver was recovered during the search of Moriarty’s residence.

Moriarty was released Tuesday after police conferred with Hawai‘i County prosecutors. The investigation continues.