It seems like everyone in Waikiki is walking around with a bit of an ‘APEC edge.’

I’ve lived there for the past four years. The idea of APEC coming to town was already daunting. Even without APEC, Waikiki can be a crowded, loud and overwhelming place. Tourists stay up late drinking and shouting and sounds from motorcycles, mopeds and sirens bounce off buildings.

My girlfriend and I always joke that we should have listened to our friends and moved out sooner – but to be honest our location is convenient. It’s a five minute walk to one of our favorite surf spots on the island. Generally we don’t go to Kalakaua because we want to avoid the crowds. Kuhio Avenue is even worse. Prostitutes, homeless under the influence and intoxicated tourists are not my idea of fun – so it just seems safer to avoid the place, especially at night.

But now APEC gives me a new reason to avoid Waikiki — and I’m not talking about the traffic. I’m talking about the U.S. State Department agent charged in the shooting death of a Kailua man at the McDonald’s on Kuhio. I don’t know the whole story, (surveillance camera footage may tell us more) but what I do know is that a 23-year-old man was killed because of some disagreement or altercation. Senseless.

Would it have happened if Special Agent Christopher Deedy was never asked to come to the islands for APEC?

Our reporter in Washington, D.C., Adrienne LaFrance, reported that Deedy was in fact sent here for APEC. Is this really what we can expect from the conference? A week of heavy traffic, protests and now – violence that leads to death? I thought this event was supposed to present Honolulu in a positive light.

Talking with other locals in the neighborhood the mood seemed to be consistent. A neighbor I spoke with during an elevator ride said that events like APEC perpetuate these types of things. That a special agent from the mainland has no business in a Waikiki nightclub while carrying a weapon. A cashier from the nearby Whalers General Store seemed overwhelmed. To her, APEC is nothing but bad news for the islands and Saturday’s shooting was just the beginning. I must have heard, “I just can’t wait until APEC is over” more than a dozen times Sunday.

I hope they’re wrong. The event was supposed to be positive. Instead the first mention of APEC is a young man getting killed in a fight in Waikiki.

I want to offer my condolences to the family of Kollin Elderts.