Hawaiʻi’s governor has directed that both the United States flag and the Hawaiʻi state flag be flown at half-staff across all state offices, agencies and National Guard facilities to honor victims of two tragic shootings — one in the United States and one in Australia.

Governor Josh Green announced the order following a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where two students were killed and nine others wounded during final examination week, and the deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney during a Hanukkah celebration that claimed multiple lives and injured dozens more.

The flags were lowered immediately and are to remain at half-staff through sunset on Friday, December nineteenth, as a gesture of shared grief and solidarity with the victims’ families and affected communities.

In his statement, Green said the symbolic act reflects Hawaiʻi’s sorrow and resolve to honour every life taken, to support those forever changed, and to call for an end to senseless violence that continues to wound communities at home and abroad.

The decision unites the Pacific state’s recognition of both the Brown University shooting and the international tragedy in Australia, underscoring a collective moment of remembrance and respect for the deceased and injured.