City prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro says both men arrested for the crimes were being mobbed by two or more people and reacted to protect themselves.
Kaneshiro says the stabbing in waikiki where Brycen Iona was killed was in self defense.
He says the suspect who is homeless was attacked by the victim and another male…after he tried to get his backpack and bag of food the two men stole.
After reviewing surveillance video captured from the queen’s surf concession stand, they determined the suspect was acting in self defense.
In the Mayor Wrights housing stabbing, Benjamin Rekis was stabbed after a man along with several other males attacked him.
Kaneshiro says the suspect in this case reacted in self defense stabbing Rekis and injuring others.
"Our role is to base our decision on the facts and evidence unfortunately other people are affected and people did die and that’s unfortunate that happened. We not encouraging anybody to stab people we’re not encouraging anybody to use deadly force but when that happens we have to look at the law to see whether those facts justify those actions," says Keith Kaneshiro, Honolulu prosecutor.
The families of both men who died have expressed outrage that no one will be held accountable for their deaths.
According to the prosecutor’s office it is unusual for them to have fatal incidents that were ruled to be in self defense.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
