Man who killed Waianae shooter acted in self-defense, lawyer says

A large yellow front-end loader is still wedged into the side of a partially collapsed carport at the end of rural Waianae Valley Road.

The home, tucked away on a dead-end street surrounded by farmland and mountains, is now the site of one of Hawaii’s deadliest shootings. The police cordon that cordoned off the area after the weekend killings was gone, and there was not a single police car in sight Tuesday afternoon.

The violence, which began as an argument between neighbors and ended with four people dead, including the shooter, has rocked the Westside community, as have other shootings in the area in recent weeks.

“This is just madness at its peak,” said Kala-A’na Lindsey, a Waianae resident who said she knows both families involved in the brawl. “Our community is hurting.”

Philip Ganaban, chairman of the Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board and a friend of the families involved, said tensions began to mount Saturday night over a party he organized at a building he rented called the Silva Dome on the property of 58-year-old Hiram Silva.

Police said that at about 11:15 p.m., Silva drove a tractor into the roof of a house and opened fire, killing three women and wounding two others.

The home’s resident, 42-year-old Rishard Keamo Carnate, who was standing in the driveway at the time, shot Silva with a handgun, police said. Carnate was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder after police arrived and released about 20 hours later pending an investigation.

Carnate’s attorney, Michael Green, said his client was defending his home and family and acting within the law.

“This guy should have been stopped before he killed more people,” Green said Tuesday, referring to Silva. “It could have been a lot worse.”

The investigation is ongoing

Silva often rented out the tubular, prefab building, which resembles an airplane hangar, for parties and events that were sometimes boisterous, Ganaban said. The building sits on about 19 acres at 85-1383 C Waianae Valley Road. County records show the owners were Silva and his wife, Sandra. Sandra Silva declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday.

Ganaban added that Silva ran his own transport company and often spent time with his children and grandchildren.

On Saturday night, Ganaban said, some of the party guests were racing cars down the street and burning rubber.

The Keamo family, who have lived in a house next door to the Silvas for generations, had their own gathering Saturday night, Ganaban said. Family members were concerned about the safety of their children and went to the Silva Dome to ask guests to stop speeding.

The Keamos family had previously spoken to Silva about the parties held at his dome and asked him to ask guests to be respectful, as Silva did not like people interfering in his affairs, Ganaban said.

Moments after the Keamos confronted the partygoers, Silva drove a front-end loader onto Keamos’ property, he said.

“This is a massacre”

People screamed and tried to escape as Silva rammed several cars in the garage and began shooting. Police said Sunday that he also shot at four 55-gallon drums on a front-end loader that were carrying an unknown type of fuel.

Police said three women, aged 29, 34 and 36, were killed, while a 31-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman were injured. Their identities have not been released.

Ganaban said all those killed were Carnate’s cousins, but did not provide further details about them.

Carnate’s arrest sparked outrage among many in the community, though some noted it was part of the legal process that needed to play out. That sentiment was echoed in comments posted on Civil Beat, with many praising the person who shot the suspect as a hero.

“People were outraged by this because they felt he should not have been arrested,” Ganaban said.

Green said Carnate clearly acted in self-defense.

“This is a massacre that happened in his backyard,” he said. “The law is pretty clear that you have the right to use deadly force.”

Hawaii law states that the use of deadly force is justified if a person believes it is necessary to protect against death or serious bodily injury.

But Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan noted Tuesday that Hawaii is not a “stand and defend state.” A “stand and defend” law allows people to defend themselves with deadly force without first trying to flee or withdraw from a threatening situation.

He would not comment on Carnate’s arrest, but Logan said anyone who discharges a firearm and injures another person in Hawaii will likely be arrested and processed. They must be released after 48 hours if no charges are filed. Police then work with prosecutors to determine whether the suspect will be charged.

In Carnate’s case, no such determination has been made yet, Logan said.

Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Alm said Sunday he does not comment on open investigations.

Logan said the gun Carnate used was legally registered. Silva had two guns with him at the time of the shooting — a handgun and a long gun — and neither was registered, he said.

Enemies of neighbors

Ganaban said the Keamo and Silva families have had disputes going back years, mostly over events at the Silva Dome. The Keamos have taken their concerns to the borough council and the Honolulu Police Department, including reporting Silva for discharging a gun on his property.

About three years ago, Green said, Silva threatened to shoot someone in Keamo’s family.

Logan said Tuesday that police have not received any calls for assistance at Keamo’s home or any homes in the immediate area in 2024. He did not have information on whether police have responded to situations in the area in previous years. Lt. Deena Thoemmes said at a news conference Sunday that police responded once to a disagreement between neighbors in 2023.

However, the Silva Dome has long been a source of frustration for the local community.

Ganaban said he will occasionally hold concerts and other events during the Covid-19 pandemic when strict restrictions are in place in the state.

The city’s Planning and Permitting Department has investigated at least 20 community complaints related to the Silva property since 2001, according to City and County of Honolulu spokesman Ian Scheuring.

In 2015, the city placed a lien on the property, and as of Tuesday, fines assessed against the property totaled $587,250.

In 2021, the department received a complaint about a large tent structure on the property that had been built without a permit. The city issued a notice of violation, but when inspectors repeatedly tried to enter the property to re-inspect, the owners failed to respond.

The city has issued five violation notices at the site, and two remain open. One concerns the dome and the other illegal grading, or the reshaping of land to prepare it for construction.

“Other than seizing the property, the DPP has indeed taken every possible law enforcement action,” Scheuring said.

Carnate’s main concern now is potential retaliation against him or his family, his attorney said. Green wants to see a greater police presence in the area.

Logan said he would provide “additional resources” to the district but did not specify how many additional officers would be sent. The district was not at 100% staffing the weekend of the shooting, he said Sunday.

Green said Carnate is now home, but his family is worried about what might happen next.

“He’s in shock,” he said. “He gets arrested, he sees his family members shot to death in his backyard.”

Civil Beat reporter Blaze Lovell contributed to this report.