HONOLULU (Reuters) ? A U.S. State Department agent visiting Honolulu for this week's Asia-Pacific economic summit has been charged with criminal homicide in the after-hours shooting death of a man on Waikiki Beach, attorneys said on Monday.
The suspect, identified as Christopher Deedy, was arraigned on Sunday morning in Honolulu court on charges of second-degree homicide and use of a firearm in commission of a felony, and he was released on $250,000 bond, authorities said.
Dave Koga, a spokesman for the city prosecutor's office, confirmed that Deedy is a State Department employee, and police said he was suspected in the fatal shooting of a man during a confrontation at a Waikiki McDonald's shortly before 3 a.m. on Saturday. They gave no further details.
However, an attorney hired by the family of the victim said Deedy is a federal agent with the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security who was in town for this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference.
The lawyer, Michael Green, said the shooting erupted after the victim, Kollin Elders, 23, stopped into the McDonald's with a friend following a night out at a club and encountered Deedy as he entered the restaurant with three other people.
According to Green, Elders taunted Deedy by telling him he looked "pretty serious" and jokingly asked him, "'Hey, are you going to shoot me or something?'"
Green said Deedy, who appeared intoxicated, replied saying, "'How would you like to get shot tonight?'" as he reached behind his back, pulled out a gun, knocked Elders to the floor and fired three shots -- one of them striking the victim.
Green said the sequence of events was captured on security cameras and also was relayed by Elders' friend, who fled the restaurant after the shooting. Police said the suspect was identified by eyewitnesses and arrested at the scene.
The lawyer said he was retained by the Elders' family to ensure that the case was not "swept under the rug."
(Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Peter Bohan)
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