Apr. 11—A man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a fatal shooting near the Waianae Small Boat Harbor in 2021 was sentenced Wednesday by Circuit Court Judge Shanlyn Park to 20 years in prison.

A man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a fatal shooting near the Waianae Small Boat Harbor in 2021 was sentenced Wednesday by Circuit Court Judge Shanlyn Park to 20 years in prison.

In addition, Zaysten Vincent, 21, faces 10 years for a firearm charge, with credit for time served, in the death of Jarron Crowell, 28.

Vincent pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 to manslaughter, but had originally been charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 19, 2021, incident.

In that plea, he agreed he “did recklessly cause the death of Jarron Crowell.” He also pleaded to carrying or possessing a loaded revolver, not properly stored, to the Waianae Small Boat Harbor.

In exchange for his guilty pleas, the state dropped the charge of carrying or use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony.

Court records say witnesses saw a group of four males, including at least one minor, approach Crowell at the boat harbor.

Witness Butch Hokoana said he saw Crowell walk into the harbor parking lot, wash off at a water faucet, and saw the group approach Crowell and congregate near a red or maroon car parked nearby.

Three of them appeared to instigate a fight with Crowell, Hokoana said.

He and two witnesses were near the harbor driveway when they heard gunshots coming from the direction of Spinners Cafe. They saw a group of males run from Spinners to Farrington Highway and a red or maroon car speeding out of the parking lot.

Crowell suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. Bystanders rendered aid to Crowell at a parking lot across from the cafe.

The manslaughter plea carries up to a 20-year sentence and $50, 000 fine. The gun-related charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $25, 000 fine.

Deputy Prosecutor Anna Ishikawa asked the court to sentence Vincent to an indeterminate 20-year term for manslaughter and 10 years for the firearm charge, and asked that the two sentences run concurrently. She said it was appropriate because Crowell was shot several times, and Vincent fled and evaded police for three days until he was found at work and arrested.

The deputy prosecutor also said in her motion that Vincent was not under strong provocation from his friends to shoot, and most were involved in a physical altercation with him.

“Mr. Vincent made a series of terrible decisions and now he must face the consequences. He was carrying a gun in a public place after midnight. And when he got involved in an argument, he used that gun. The result was tragic, ” Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “Mr. Crowell was killed and Mr. Vincent will be locked up for years. Anyone who uses a gun to settle a dispute can expect to be caught, convicted and spend years in prison.”

Court-appointed attorney Myles Breiner had asked the court to consider sentencing Vincent as a youthful offender on the manslaughter charge.

“He had just turned 19 about 10 days, 15 days prior to the shooting, and he’s been in custody for two years. There’s no priors, not even a parking ticket, ” Breiner told the Star-Advertiser. “The courts still felt he was ineligible for youthful offender treatment, because the facts didn’t support it, and that had to do with the autopsy report and the number of shots that were fired.”

In his closing statement, Breiner also brought up the growing prevalence of gun violence in West Oahu.

“That’s what I addressed to the court and to those assembled in the courtroom. What’s going on in our local community ? Why guns ? Why are all these young people getting guns, and their response to being threatened or being in fear is to pull out a gun and start shooting ?”

Family members of both Crowell and Vincent also addressed the court Wednesday.

Correction : Jarron Crowell was 28-years-old when he was killed, not 26 as was reported in an earlier version of this story.