Hawaii shooting shows dangers of cockfights
HONOLULU — Police in Hawaii have vowed to step up illegal gambling enforcement after one of the most serious shootings in state history called attention to the dangers that come with cockfighting, which has deep roots in the islands and remains popular despite being illegal.
The shooting early Saturday in a rural community more than 30 miles from downtown Honolulu killed a man and woman and wounded three others. The Honolulu medical examiner’s office as of Wednesday had yet to release the names of the dead — both of whom were taken in private cars to a hospital. Two suspects, including a 16-year-old boy, turned themselves in Tuesday and are facing first-degree murder charges, Honolulu police said.
An arrest log shows Jacob Borge, 23, was being held on murder charges. State Public Defender James Tabe, whose office represented him in a previous disorderly conduct fight threat case, declined to comment Wednesday.
Authorities say investigating cockfights is difficult in part because they are highly organized events on private property and their illegal nature and the large amount of money wagered means they often have links to organized crime. The clandestine fights happen all over Hawaii, usually on large, remote properties shrouded by brush and accessible only by dirt roads, like in Waianae, where the weekend shooting took place.
“Neighbors are also reluctant to get involved for fear of retaliation,” Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said in a statement.
Despite being illegal in Hawaii since 1884, the fights between roosters with blades affixed to their legs have remained a part of life in the islands, especially among the state’s large population of Filipinos, who are credited with bringing the practice from the Philippines, where it was introduced by Spaniards. Many cockfighting fans claim the blood sport is part of local Hawaii culture.
“People that are attendees are local, locally based, and have been doing it for generations,” said former Maui police chief Gary Yabuta, now executive director of the Hawaii High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. “A saying among chicken fighters is, ‘It’s in my blood.’”
But Saturday’s shooting, which police say started with an argument at the end of a cockfight, has some saying enough is enough, and cultural claims should no longer be used to excuse the illegal fights that happen every weekend.
“People say, ‘I grew up with it. It’s a cultural thing. Papa had chickens … we went to chicken fights, that’s how we made our money,’” said Patty Kahanamoku-Teruya, chair woman of the neighborhood board in the area of the shooting. “It’s not a cultural right. It’s illegal. Period.”