Federal Agent Charged in APEC Shooting Appears in Honolulu Court
11/17/2011
Nanea Kalani/Civil Beat
The federal agent charged with shooting and killing an Oahu man did so in self defense, his attorney says.
In a brief court hearing in Honolulu Thursday morning, Christopher Deedy appeared solemn, dressed in a black suit and sky-blue tie. He was flanked by his wife, Stephanie, who also was dressed in black.
In the courtroom, two protesters with World Can't Wait held fluorescent orange signs that read: "JUSTICE for Kollin Elderts."
Deedy, 27, was indicted Wednesday for the Nov. 5 shooting death of Elderts, 23, at a Waikiki McDonald's. He had been released on $250,000 bail two days after the shooting.
Deedy, a U.S. State Department agent who had been in Honolulu for the Asis-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, didn't say a word inside or outside the courtroom. His attorney, Brook Hart, spoke on his behalf.
The hearing was short and neither Hart nor the prosecutor got into details of the incident. Most of the information about what happened that night has come from attorney Michael Green, who has been hired by the Elderts family. He has said the shooting occurred after Deedy and Elderts got into an argument and then a scuffle inside McDonald's.
But Hart, in brief comments after the hearing, said it is inappropriate to publicly piece together what happened in the McDonald's the night Elderts was shot until law enforcement provides more information to attorneys on either side.
"No discovery has been obtained, so rather than do what some others have been willing to do, we're going to wait until the appropriate time to do that," he told reporters.
Hart said he couldn't delve into details about what led Deedy to allegedly shoot and kill Elderts, but said that there has been "a lot of misinformation" about the incident.
"It's going to be a little while before we know clearly what is misinformation, what is correct information, and what is info that is in dispute," Hart told Civil Beat before the hearing. "Mr. Deedy defended himself in the situation, and did so in, I guess, a way that was consistent with his calling as being a professional and responsible law enforcement officer who found himself aggressed upon by a drunk and angry person."
Here's a video of Deedy and his wife as they exit court.
Despite the high-profile nature of the case, there was no special security in the courtroom. Elderts' family didn't appear to be in the audience, and Green wasn't in the courtroom either.
Deedy was expected to enter a plea at Thursday's court appearance, but the hearing ended quickly with a presiding district court judge saying the court had no jurisdiction over the case. The case will move to circuit court, where Deedy is expected to be arraigned Monday.
