Wendy’s employee, 22, dies after being stabbed by customer in altercation, police say

HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) - Loved ones in Hawaii are remembering a young man killed in a stabbing while working at an area Wendy’s.

Family and friends say 22-year-old Kashka Otto was the man who died over the weekend.

Honolulu police said they responded to a Wendy’s on Sunday for a reported argument between a customer and an employee that morning.

According to police, the customer, later identified as 60-year-old Reynaldo Cheney, was moving furniture inside the restaurant when two employees told him to stop.

Cheney was then escorted out of the restaurant by the workers, including Otto.

However, Cheney reportedly called Otto a derogatory name and an argument ensued that continued into the parking lot.

Police said the 22-year-old then punched Cheney and he in return stabbed the worker.

Otto and his co-worker were transported to the hospital, but the 22-year-old did not survive.

This week, there’s now a growing memorial for Otto outside of the Wendy’s restaurant.

The 22-year-old was a Waianae High School graduate and an avid volleyball player.

“He was this big guy, but he had a sensitive soul,” volleyball team member Kevin Wong said.

Otto’s co-workers said he was always smiling and friendly to everyone at the restaurant.

“He would always give a smile when taking people’s orders. He was really great. He was a great person,” Wendy’s worker Sophie Tabag said.

As the community mourns the death of Otto, his suspected stabber remains in police custody.

Police said Cheney doesn’t have a criminal history, but records show he’s been cited more than a dozen times in recent years for illegal camping in the area.

People who know Cheney said he has lived in a tent near the beach for years.

Honolulu police said the deadly stabbing remains under investigation.

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