Waianae residents fed up with the gun violence
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Waianae (KITV) — In a little over a week, there’s been at least three shootings in Waianae and many residents said enough is enough.
“It’s very heartbreaking. I was very shocked,” said Paula Greenleaf. “My son is not the kind of person to resort to violence first.”
Paula Greenleaf’s son Rastan “Jai” Brown-Castro has been charged with the murder of Cheylo Chong-Tim at the Waianae Boat Harbor.
And just this week alone, Alston Kaipo Awong was shot and killed by police after opening fire on his girlfriend’s relatives, leaving three people in the hospital.
A day later, another shooting incident left a 15-year-old boy and 19-year-old man in serious condition.
“Our community is heartbroken and appalled by the recent back-to-back shootings along our coastline and just the increasing gun violence,” said Rep. Cedric Gates, who represents Waianae and Makaha. “There is a criminal element relating to guns and gangs that we want to see rooted out of our community.”
Gates is asking for help from federal, state and city agencies to get illegal guns off the streets.
“We’re in a new generation and a new era,” he said. “When I was growing up, people had guns, but nowadays it seems like everyone has a gun.”
For Greenleaf, she’s devastated for her son Rastan who was homeless and for the family of the man he’s accused of killing.
“My son grew up here at the boat harbor where there’s a lot of violence. There’s a lot of drugs, it’s really crazy in there,” she said. “It’s a whole different world in there, very negative, it’s not the place to grow up. I know for a fact that he was trying to protect himself. He had to have felt pushed into a corner. He had to have felt like there was no option left.”
Law enforcement is increasing its presence at the boat harbor and throughout the Waianae Coast.
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