Man allegedly provided gun that killed officer
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
A 42-year-old man was charged yesterday with providing convicted murderer Shane Mark with the gun used in the shooting of Honolulu police officer Glen Gaspar.
Darren Nakahara, who has no permanent local address, is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and use of a firearm in commission of a drug-trafficking crime. Conviction for being a felon in possession is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The second count of the federal complaint unsealed yesterday carries a mandatory minimum five-year prison term.
Gaspar was shot and killed on March 4, 2003, while attempting to arrest Mark at a Kapolei ice cream parlor. Gaspar and five other officers assigned to the HPD Career Criminal Unit were in Kapolei to arrest Mark for another shooting.
According to the federal complaint, Nakahara admitted to police that in November 2002, he sold a Smith & Wesson .22-caliber revolver to Mark for $100 and either one-quarter or a half-gram of crystal methamphetamine.
The gun was registered to Nakahara's deceased father, Elmer Nakahara.
During the March 2003 police interview, Nakahara acknowledged that he was a crystal meth user and convicted felon, the court document said.
Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center records show that Nakahara has 21 convictions since 1990, most notably for auto theft (six times) and drug offenses.
A jury convicted Mark of second-degree murder for killing Gaspar in December 2003. In postponing sentencing last month, Circuit Judge Karen Ahn ruled that the state must first complete a second trial against Mark on three charges the jury could not agree on. The charges include attempted first-degree murder for allegedly trying to shoot Officer Calvin Sung, who was with Gaspar inside the ice cream parlor.
The second trial starts in June.
Federal prosecutors are seeking to hold Nakahara without bail. A detention hearing is scheduled Friday. Nakahara's preliminary hearing will be on May 18.
Donna Gray of the Federal Public Defender's office represented Nakahara at his initial appearance in federal court yesterday but Peter Wolff Jr., the federal public defender, is planning to take the case.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
