The victim of an early Saturday morning shooting in Pepeekeo told police he and the alleged shooter’s girlfriend had engaged in “sexual activities” at the makai cul-de-sac on Sugar Mill Road and were leaving when the woman’s boyfriend rolled up and shot him, according to court documents.
Documents state Kolten Quevedo, 31, of Pepeekeo told police Rosa Fonseca was at the wheel of a red Ford Fusion and he was in the passenger seat when a pickup truck arrived.
A man Fonseca told Quevedo was her boyfriend— identified by police as 32-year-old Dustin Kapena Bell of Hilo — got out of the truck, tapped a black handgun on the windshield, then shot Quevedo through the front passenger window, hitting him in the left thigh, documents state.
Quevedo told Fonseca he was hit and needed to go to the hospital, so she drove toward Highway 19 at a high rate of speed before running off the road into a tree, according to documents. Quevedo allegedly told police he saw the lights of the truck coming toward them, so he got out of the car and hid in the bushes.
According to documents, when the truck arrived, Quevedo heard the man say, “Where is he?” before the truck drove away and didn’t return.
A witness said he was driving on Sugar Mill Road at about 6 a.m. when he encountered a Ford Fusion on the side of the road with collision damage, documents state, then spotted Quevedo in the bushes with a thigh injury and called for police and medical assistance.
Bell called police at 3:14 a.m. Saturday to report the Ford Fusion stolen from his home. He allegedly told officers the car was unlocked and the windows rolled up when it was stolen sometime between 9 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday from the driveway of the Kaiwiki Road home he shares with Fonseca.
Responding officers saw a Honda Ridgeline pickup truck in the home’s driveway when they arrived, according to documents. They interviewed Fonseca, and she allegedly remembered picking up Quevedo — whom she described as a friend — and cruising. She also reportedly remembered hitting the tree and the airbags deploying, and later Bell picking her up, but allegedly couldn’t remember what vehicle he was in our how she got home.
When pressed for more details, Fonseca requested a lawyer, documents state.
Video surveillance footage was obtained from Honua Ola Bioenergy plant, located about 500 feet from the cul-de-sac. The footage reportedly showed a vehicle resembling the Ford Fusion traveling west on Sugar Mill Road at about 2:42 a.m., followed by a truck resembling a Honda Ridgeline. Documents state the time-stamped footage corroborates the timeline provided by Quevedo.
Police obtained a search warrant on the Ford and the Kaiwiki Road home. The safety glass of the passenger side window of the car was shattered and there were three bullet holes on the passenger side of the vehicle, according to police. A backpack with a state ID belonging to Quevedo and a red hooded sweatshirt with holes and apparent bloodstains were found in a laundry hamper at the home, documents state.
In addition, a witness staying at a rental house near the Sugar Mill Road cul-de-sac reported hearing what sounded like three gunshots at about 2:45 a.m. Police also reported finding an unspecified number of bullet casings at the cul-de-sac.
Quevedo underwent surgery for a fractured femur at Hilo Medical Center. Police on Monday described his condition as stable.
Bell was charged with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault for the shooting and making a false report to police for reporting the Ford as stolen.
Bell’s only previous conviction was in 2015 for violating a protective order, a misdemeanor.
At Bell’s initial court appearance Monday, his attorney, Stanton Oshiro, requested Bell be freed on court-supervised release without cash bail, or that his $276,000 bail be reduced.
“Mr. Bell has no prior record of any kind with regard to failure to appear or contempt of court, is employed full-time as a landscaper, has a verified place of residence, and there is no report of any kind of illicit substances or drug abuse,” Oshiro said.
Deputy Prosecutor Nathan Wersal objected to Oshiro’s motion “based on the seriousness of the allegations.”
Hilo District Judge Jeffrey Hawk maintained bail at $276,000 and ordered Bell to return to court at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
