Kansas Man Charged in Hawaii Snorkel Tour Stabbing

A 21-year-old man from Kansas faces charges of second-degree attempted murder and multiple counts of assault after allegedly stabbing a boat captain during a snorkeling tour off Hawaii's Kona coast on April 16.

Avery Nissen of Overland Park, Kansas, was arrested following the attack on 62-year-old Stanley Lurbiecki, the captain of a catamaran operated by Hawaii Nautical. The incident occurred aboard the vessel during a three-hour snorkeling excursion involving Nissen, his mother, and a sibling. Police reports indicate that as the boat approached Honokohau Harbor around 3:21 p.m., Nissen retrieved a 10-inch filet knife from the galley and struck Lurbiecki in the head, hands, and lower abdomen. Other passengers and crew members intervened, subduing Nissen and preventing further harm. Witnesses described scenes of panic as the group restrained the suspect, who briefly jumped overboard before being pulled back aboard.

Lurbiecki, a veteran mariner with 35 years of experience, managed to navigate the boat to the harbor despite his injuries. He was transported to Kona Community Hospital, where he received treatment for a stab wound to the abdomen and several cuts to his head and hands....