Amateur MMA fighter Bryson Okada was fatally shot last week while at an illegal gambling establishment in his home state of Hawaii.
According to a report from Hawaii News Now, the shooting occurred just after 10:00pm on the night of Wednesday, May 18.
The 33-year old Okada was identified by family members as the victim of the fatal shooting. According to law enforcement, Okada was shot in the back of the head and died at the scene.
Reports claim the shooter got into a physical altercation with one of Okada’s friends about an hour before the shooting occurred. A witness present at the scene was able to provide details of the incident to Hawaii News Now.
“They had some guy spot, you know standing around spotting to see if any cops come. They went in the game room. One guy came out with the gun and the other guys came running out right after him.”
The alleged shooter then fled the scene, but not before “the guy handed the gun to some guy over here on a bicycle,” according to the witness.
It’s unclear at this time if the shooter was specifically targeting the amateur MMA fighter.
Local police had arrested 25-year-old Kawika Kanakanui for an unrelated crime before formally charging him with second-degree murder and three firearm offenses in relation to the incident. Kanakanui was already on probation for drug charges from 2021 when he was arrested as a suspect in the shooting. His bail has been set at $1 million.
Bryson Okada competed in two amateur MMA bouts in 2007 and 2008. He lost his amateur debut to Keoni Diggs at a Hawaiian regional event in 2007 and fought Eddie Ohia to a draw at X-1 World Events 21 in Honolulu the following year.
You can view Okada in action against Eddie Ohia in the video below.
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