BY JIM DOOLEY – Conflicting reports are emerging about events that led to the fatal shooting of a young Kailua man early Saturday in Waikiki by an off-duty federal security agent in Honolulu for the APEC conference.
The agent, Christopher Deedy, 27, a security officer with the U.S. State Department, was charged by police Sunday with second-degree murder and released from custody after posting $250,000 bond.
Deedy’s supporters have asserted that he acted in self defense during a violent altercation with Kollin K. Elderts, 23, inside a McDonalds Restaurant on Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki.
But Michael Green, a prominent local attorney representing Elderts’ family, said Deedy shot Elderts after a verbal altercation between the two inside McDonald’s Restaurant on Kuhio Avenue escalated into physical violence and culminated with a fatal gunshot to Elderts’ chest.
“There was a knife recovered but my client didn’t have a knife,” Green said. “They can check it for fingerprints.”
Green said he spoke at length today with one of Elderts’ friends who was with him that evening.
“My client and his friend were at a bar in Chinatown, SoHo, and then they went to McDonald’s in Waikiki,” said Green.
“The agent (Deedy), two men and a woman came in” while Elderts was joking with his friend and other patrons, said Green.
“My client apparently said something to them like, “Hey, what’s wrong, everybody else is laughing, aren’t you having a good time?’” Green continued.
“They started having words and the agent said, ‘How would you like to get shot tonight?’” Green said.
“My client said, ‘What, you gonna shoot me? Go ahead, shoot me,’” according to Green.
Then Deedy “apparently karate-kicked my client in the chest and knocked him down. My client got up and apparently slapped him and grabbed him and the guy fires three shots,” said the lawyer.
Elderts was shot once in the chest and one round went into the ceiling of the restaurant. Green said he didn’t know where the third bullet went.
Deedy remained at the scene following the shooting and was attempting to administer cardio pulmonary resuscitation to Elderts when police arrived, sources said.
Police and prosecutors are refusing to disclose details of the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Deedy’s initial court appearance has been scheduled for Nov. 17.
The incident occurred just as international delegations from 21 countries are arriving in Waikiki for this week’s opening of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.
Deedy is in Honolulu for security duties at the APEC conference.
A makeshift memorial for Elderts was placed on Kuhio Avenue near the site of the shooting.
Elderts was convicted in 2008 of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and of drunk driving in 2010.
Then in November 2010, he was cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license and for operating an uninsured vehicle.
Elderts pleaded no contest to those offenses in March.
On Monday, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye expressed sympathy for Elderts’ family.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this sad and difficult time,” Inouye said.
“I am confident that the Honolulu Police Department will handle this matter properly to ensure that justice is served, and that our community will be respectful and considerate of both the Elderts family and the national and international spotlight which is upon our beloved Hawaii this week,” Inouye said in a news release.
Editor’s Note: The original version of this story incorrectly reported that Elderts threatened Deedy with a knife.
This lawyer seems to change his story every day. Yesterday he was saying that the victim and the agent had a confrontation at a bar and then the agent followed the victim to the McDonalds. Today he is basically saying that the agent walked into the McDonald’s looking to kill someone and the victim just happened to talk to him first. That sounds like a crazy person, not a guy who would stay and try to save someone he had just shot and then wait for the police to arrive. It also seems like whoever is feeding the lawyer his stories are changing them, for what purporse I don’t know.
Among the many hats he wears, Mr. Green is a civil attorney who represents clients in wrongful death lawsuits, receiving a percentage of a civil award granted to his client. At this point, Mr. Green only knows what he has been told and will advise his clients on exactly what to say in the event of a forthcoming civil case, which would not be filed before a criminal trial. Involved parties will make statements to cover their butts. With any luck, camera surveillance records exist that will clarify what actually happened. Objective witnesses and evidence (fingerprints on a knife?) are necessary to get an accurate picture. It’s all too sad.
This is the only news account of this incident I have found that appears to have tried to find out the real facts, instead of just relying on Mr. Green’s assertions, which appear to change every day. Plus he wasn’t there and appears only to give credence to those who might have been involved in the altercation on the side of the deceased. Green candidly said in one of his quotes in the Star Advertiser is that he is representing the family so he can sue everyone (a candid admission which the Star Advertiser now appears to have edited out of the online version of the story), perhaps because it shows what a weak job of reporting the SA did (simply repeating hearsay statements of an interested person with no firsthand knowledge). Thanks for trying to find out the real facts, Mr. Dooley.
I knew Chris Deedy when he worked at another agency in DC. He was a good honest guy, the kind of person you’d trust to date your sister. To the best of my knowledge, he had never been in any kind of trouble prior to this.
The knee-jerk reaction to a story like this is to assume the suspect is a hot-shot trigger-happy agent and the victim was an innocent hippie who walked on water and never hurt a fly.
I am very sorry for the victim and his family, but I have absolutely no doubt that when the FACTS of this tragedy finally come out there will be a strong case for self-defense.
Incidents of this sort will occur more frequently as the Federal Police/Military apparatus increases its presence. Behaviors that have either been tolerated, condoned, or encouraged by local authorities are now subject to national standards; those who, by word or deed, challenge, or otherwise threaten, law enforcement personnel will be subjected to summary justice by way of public spectacle. Get used to it.
Lots of comments have surfaced to paint a martial law picture. While law enforcement has lots of room for improvement, there remains real safety issues for tourists in Hawaii. To be blunt, the safety issues are often by local males against white males. In this case, Deedy was not wearing a uniform, so he was just another white tourist. If his actions were criminal, he should be prosecuted. If he acted in self-defense, he should be exonerated. With national attention, maybe the Hawaii Judicial system will have to actually follow the law.
Seemed like the kid got what was coming to him. Elderts past actions drunk driving, misconduct, again operating a vehicle… Actions speak louder than words. Another punk off the streets
Having grown up in Hawaii I know all about the way some mokes think their so bad ass. Check out the tats, flashing the gang sighns. Come on, if he had just kept his drunk mouth shut, not hastled this guy, he would be alive today. Like it or not, he done f*cked with the wrong f*ucking haole. "Oh what? You going shoot me? Go, shoot me den!" POW! and pau.
Haole is guilty.
Check out his mugshot. He's so wasted, he's glassyeyed and CROSSeyed! His goose is cooked
More clowns need to be shot! Especially Moke punks like him.. Hawaii needs to be an open carry state like Texas, then these trouble makers will really think twice about acting tuff.
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