Kailua-Kona crash kills pedestrian, driver faces negligent homicide charge

A 59-year-old man walking on the unpaved portion of the old Kona Airport runway died after a white 2017 Toyota Tacoma veered off the paved roadway and struck him in Kailua-Kona. Hawai‘i Island police have reclassified the case as second-degree negligent homicide, turning a traffic case into a criminal death investigation.

Police said the crash happened at 7:28 p.m. Saturday, May 30, on the Old Kona Airport roadway. Investigators said the pickup was traveling south, toward Kona, when it left the pavement and entered an unfinished gravel area where the man was walking south. Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel took the victim to Kona Community Hospital, and he was later airlifted to Queen’s Medical Center on O‘ahu. Hospital personnel notified police on Thursday, June 4, that he had died.

The driver was identified as 23-year-old Janne Labin of Kailua-Kona. Police said Labin was arrested at the scene and initially charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant, first-degree negligent injury and reckless driving. Police said speed, alcohol and inattention appear to have been factors in the collision, and an autopsy has been ordered.

Labin made his initial court appearance on June 2 in Kona District Court before Judge Kimberly Tsuchiya. His bail was reportedly reduced from $13,000 to $2,500.

The victim’s identity remains withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin. The Area II Traffic Enforcement Unit is continuing the investigation, and police are asking witnesses to contact Officer Dayson Taniguchi or Crime Stoppers.

The death is the 16th traffic fatality on Hawai‘i Island roads this year, compared with 13 at the same point in 2025. That gap underscores how quickly the island’s road toll has climbed, with another Kailua-Kona case now moving from a collision response to a negligent homicide investigation.