The morning of August 6, 2024, began like so many others along the Waianae shoreline, until an argument in the parking area at the Waiʻanae Small Boat Harbor turned deadly. Cheylo Chong Tim a 31-year-old Native Hawaiian man, was shot during a confrontation that police and later reporting described as tied to a dispute that did not begin that day—an ongoing conflict that finally spilled over in public, with witnesses close enough to call 911 as it unfolded.

Investigators said the confrontation escalated quickly, and that the victim was struck by multiple gunshots and died at the scene. As first responders arrived, attention shifted to the shooter’s escape: police described a rapid attempt to get away from the harbor area that became a short pursuit ending after a collision, followed by a flight on foot toward a nearby beach park. Officers detained the fleeing man shortly afterward, and witnesses were cited in court-reporting summaries as confirming the person taken into custody was the shooter. 
Honolulu police identified the arrested suspect as Rastan Jaitano Hekah Brown-Castro. Reports said he was arrested later that day on suspicion of second-degree murder, and subsequent coverage indicated prosecutors moved forward with a second-degree murder case that included firearms-related allegations, with bail reported at $1,000,000. As the community absorbed the shock of the killing, the case quickly became one more flashpoint in a summer when Waianae residents and officials were publicly grappling with gun violence and its ripple effects. 
Within days, the case advanced again: reporting said an Oahu grand jury indicted Brown-Castro in connection with the harbor shooting, formalizing the prosecution’s path forward on the murder charge. Coverage discussing broader public safety efforts on the west side of Oahu continued to reference the harbor killing as a catalyst, underscoring how the shooting had shifted from a single, personal dispute into a public reckoning about violence close to homes, schools, and everyday gathering places. 
