A mother is dead after a stabbing at a bank in the heart of Lihue Thursday afternoon. The alleged suspect: her own son.
The stabbing happened at the First Hawaiian Bank on Rice Street.
Kauai police identified the victim as 69-year-old Charlene Landsman of Kapaa. She was an employee at the bank.
Police named the suspect as 34-year-old Louis Landsman. He entered the bank around 1:15 p.m., approached Charlene and stabbed her before fleeing the branch on foot.
First responders rushed to the scene and transported her to the hospital in critical condition where she was pronounced dead.
A woman working in the building next to the bank noticed the heavy police presence as she walked to her car to go on her lunch break.
That's when she had a discomforting encounter with a man she had no idea was the prime suspect in the murder.
"I stopped right by my door, still looking for my key, and I see this guy appear out of no where — less than 10 feet away from me," the witness who didn't want to be identified said. "I don't know where he came from. I was looking down, I looked up and he was just there."
The witness went on to describe the man's odd behavior as police combed the scene during the investigation.
"I felt that weird vibe. He kept looking at me and I was staring back at him ... and he turned around and paced back and forth," the witness said. "I felt something was not right."
After minutes of this odd behavior, the witness said the man then dashed toward the scene, crossing the yellow police tape.
That's when officers drew their guns and ordered him to the ground.
"Throughout this time he was smiling, laughing, he was looking at me ... he didn't seem like he was all there," the witness said. "It seemed like it was a joke to him."
Louis was arrested for second degree murder and is being held in a police cellblock.
In a statement, First Hawaiian Bank said, "What happened this afternoon was a tragic loss of life. We mourn the loss of our team member and we will be working to provide support to all of our branch staff during this difficult time."
Bail for Louis has not yet been set. The investigation is ongoing.
A spokesperson for the bank said the branch will remain closed during the ongoing investigation.
This story will be updated.
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