Kakaako murder victim identified as Yaohua Nathan Yan

HONOLULU (Island News) — The victim in a deadly stabbing at a Kakaako condo has now been identified.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii has identified the man as Yaohua Nathan Yan, an academic support specialist in the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Hawaii – Manoa.

“We’re troubled to hear about that,” said Michael Young, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. “Just the loss of another member of our Chinese community.”

Honolulu Police have opened a murder investigation after Yan was found dead in his Kakaako apartment on Wednesday at the Pacifica Honolulu.

“We were cosponsoring an event with them,” Young said. “Just on Chinese culture that’s going to happen next month, so we heard about this and we were just deeply saddened.”

This crime happened just weeks after a chemical attack on Danying Zhang, a Chinese guest teacher who was walking in the Ala Moana area.

The latest crime is shocking neighbors in Kakaako.

“The police have been outside the last couple days. At first they didn’t say it was a murder, but then word got around the building. There was gossip in the elevators,” said Michelle Hair, who lives at Pacifica Honolulu. “Definitely it makes me turn and look over my shoulder when I’m walking at night, but I’m not surprised just given the amount of crime that’s been in the county lately.”

According to the Center for Chinese Studies, Yan arrived in Hawaii in 1991 and earned his master’s degree at UH. For more than a decade, he worked as a special education teacher for the Department of Education.

A post by the Center for Chinese Studies director describes Yan as a hard-working and reliable team player.

Police said the suspect and victim knew each other.

Island News reached out to HPD for more information on a possible suspect, but so far have not heard back.