Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, January 23, 2023
U.S. Marine runs toward gunfire, applies lifesaving aid in Waikiki shooting
By Selected News Articles @ 2:08 PM :: 2926 Views :: Honolulu County, Law Enforcement, Military

V33 Combat Marksmanship Program Range

Courtesy Photo | U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Amed Issa, a rifleman with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines,... read more

U.S. Marine runs toward gunfire, applies lifesaving aid in Waikiki shooting

by 1st Lt. Isaac Liston, 3rd Marine Division, 01.20.2023

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Amed Issa, a rifleman with 3d Battalion, 3d Marines, was at the back of the bar when loud popping sounds sent the room into chaos, Jan. 6, 2023.

At first, Issa didn’t understand what was happening, but when the yells began and the mob frantically herded toward the back exit, he understood.

He did not intend to be in the bar. An hour earlier, he left a local restaurant and decided to walk down the lively, Friday-night Waikiki strip. He only entered the bar to use the restroom.

“I was there for maybe three minutes when the shots began,” said Issa. “I don’t know how to explain it; I just acted.”

As the sea of people pushed toward the back, Issa moved against the crowd.

“I ran toward the shots, pushing people down to cover. It was hard to tell what was going on. I thought someone was trying to come into the bar with a gun. I ran out of the bar as the first gunman shot a man on the sidewalk at close range.”

The man fell to the ground as the first of the two shooters sprinted to a waiting vehicle. The wounded man was lying on the sidewalk to Issa’s left as the second shooter, located to Issa’s right, began firing frantically at the downed man.

“He was shooting sporadically, toward me, but at the man – most of them (the rounds) missing the guy. He wasn’t aiming; he was moving quickly back toward the car while shooting,” said Issa. “It seemed to happen slow, but the whole thing happened in seconds. I immediately turned my attention to the victim on the ground.”

Issa began searching the man for injuries. “He was littered with gunshot wounds,” said Issa. “I removed his shirt so I could better assess the wounds on his chest.”

Issa noticed multiple chest injuries, one of them causing a sucking-chest wound and numerous shots to the torso area. He began to apply pressure to a wound that had started to pool blood.

“I applied pressure to the torso until a man came over to help. I instructed him to take my place applying pressure so I could continue assessing the man.”

The man’s legs had multiple gunshot wounds. While both were wounded, Issa noticed the right leg was a more urgent threat to the man’s life.

“I took off my shirt and did my best to makeshift a tourniquet. I was yelling for a pen or fork, anything really, so I could sinch it down even tighter.”

Issa used a fork to cinch down the makeshift tourniquet and held it shut with his hands. He used his knees for applied pressure while verbally assuring the man everything would be okay. He kept talking to the victim, asking him questions to ensure he did not close his eyes.

“Two police officers arrived on the scene. They were asking me where the shooter was. I told them they’d left. I asked them for their tourniquets; I told them I was a Marine.”

Issa applied the real tourniquets to both legs. “My friend had come out and helped apply a chest seal. Then a nurse came over and helped us apply pressure to the wounds. I was able to get gauze and was able to fill most of the wounds,” said Issa. “A police medic arrived shortly later and checked that we’d applied everything correctly.”

After a few more minutes, an ambulance arrived, and Issa immediately identified the locations of the gunshot wounds and aid applied to enable the emergency medical professionals to rapidly evacuate the victim to a higher level of care.

“At the beginning, when I saw everyone get down and I heard the shots, I didn’t think, ‘I should get up and help.’ I just started running that way. It just felt like training,” said Issa. “I tuned out the fact that there were two shooters, and they were shooting while I was outside.”

“It takes tremendous courage to do what Sgt. Issa did,” said Lt. Col. Felix Guerra III, Issa’s former battalion commander. “Despite being off duty and on liberty, he still acted like a Marine. While most ran for safety, Sgt. Issa ran toward the fight; he ran into the chaos. He risked his life and took action for a complete stranger. He embodied what it means to be a Marine.”

Issa graduated from the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in August 2022 as part of the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program. MECEP is an enlisted-to-officer commissioning program designed to provide outstanding enlisted Marines the opportunity to serve as Marine Corps officers. Issa is currently applying to universities and will begin his college education this fall.

---30---

RELATED: Mainland Criminal Shot in Waikiki: Found not guilty in attempted murder case but foolishly did not leave Hawaii--now HPD Shows Little Interest in Catching Vigilantes

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT