HONOLULU (AP) - A Hawaii man accused in a deadly shooting at an illegal game room in Honolulu has pleaded not guilty.
Deputy Public Defender Doris Lum entered a not guilty plea Monday on behalf of 35-year-old Prescott Kesi, who is charged with second-degree attempted murder and two firearm offenses.
Kesi approached 28-year-old Pitulo Vaipapa and yelled at him at the game room in Kalihi on Sept. 30, Honolulu police said. He then used a handgun to strike Vaipapa on the head.
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Vaipapa was shot in the head after the two men wrestled and the gun went off twice, police said. Kesi fled after a bouncer gained control of the gun.
Kesi surrendered to officers at a police station about an hour after the shooting.
Vaipapa was taken in critical condition to a hospital and died last week.
A Honolulu judge found probable cause for Kesi to stand trial on the attempted murder charge before Vaipapa had died. Prosecutors will likely to seek a murder charge.
At the arraignment Monday, Judge Colette Garibaldi confirmed Kesi’s bail at $500,000. He remains incarcerated in the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
A trial has been scheduled for late December.
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