In Memoriam

Police Captain T. N. Simeona was murdered in a shootout with a suspect in North Kohala. Back in 1890, the department as we know it today did not exist. Rather, officers were overseen by a sheriff, who was appointed by a police marshal on Oʻahu, who in turn was appointed by the king. Assigned to the Kohala area in the late 1880s, Captain Simeona was sent to arrest a man with leprosy named Kalama on September 24, 1890. He gathered a small group of officers and headed to Kalama’s grass hut, arriving in the late evening hours. They decided to wait until morning to approach the hut.

In the early hours of September 25, the officers heard someone moving around inside the hut and decided to approach. According to accounts from the time, Captain Simeona announced his name and ordered Kalama to come out and surrender. Instead, Kalama was heard loading a rifle and without warning, shots rang out and Captain Simeona was shot and killed. While some of the other officers ran for cover, one man, Kealoha Maui, ran towards Simeona to help him to safety. Maui was also shot during the incident, but survived. Eventually, Kalama was located and arrested before being transported to Kalaupapa for internment. Captain Simeona was 55 years old at the time of his death.

Captain Simeona’s name was added to the Hawaiʻi Police Department Memorial Wall during Police Week 2023.

Hilo Officer Michol Octobre was shot and killed on December 13, 1916, while trying to apprehend a murderer he had been tracking on the Hāmākua Coast. At the time, the Hilo and Kalōpā communities were gripped by fear as Maxime Bondad, a suspected serial killer, terrorized Hawaiʻi Island.

Embarking on the dangerous mission to locate Bondad, a Filipino national, Officer Octobre went undercover in a plantation camp posing as a laborer. Octobre’s dedication led to a crucial lead, determining Bondad’s suspected hiding place on a hillside in the Kalōpā area.

Octobre initially took some plantation laborers with him and was later joined by Deputy Sheriff Rickard of Honokaʻa. As they approached the place on the hill where Bondad was hiding, Octobre called out to Bondad in Filipino for him to come out and surrender. Bondad fired a shot, missing the officers and laborers. As Octobre and the others got closer to where Bondad was hiding, he fired twice, striking and killing Octobre. Deputy Sheriff Rickard returned gunfire and killed Bondad where he hid.

Officer Octobre’s name was added to the Hawaiʻi Police Department Memorial Wall during Police Week 2024.

Officer Manuel Cadinha was 42 years old when he was killed in the line of duty in 1918. He died of a skull fracture he received after being struck in the head while serving a warrant on a suspect, Jerry de Lima, in Hakalau.

Officer William L. Oili was 37 years old when he was killed in the line of duty while trying to rescue two men from drowning.

Officer Ronald S. Jitchaku was 52 years old when he died in the line of duty on May 7, 1990. The previous day, most of the department was occupied helping to evacuate Kalapana residents from a rapidly approaching lava flow. Officer Jitchaku was just about to finish his shift when he and a handful of other officers responded to a large fight near Banyan Drive in Hilo. While trying to intervene and restore order to the chaos, Officer Jitchaku was attacked by several suspects. A 27-year old male suspect was arrested, charged, and ultimately convicted in Officer Jitchaku’s murder.

Officer Kenneth Keliipio was 35 years old when was tragically killed in a traffic collision while on duty in Hilo. His patrol vehicle was struck by a car driven by an off-duty officer who had left a police recruit graduation celebration. The off-duty officer’s blood-alcohol level was recorded at 0.11 percent, exceeding the legal limit of 0.08 percent. He was subsequently convicted of drunk driving and negligent homicide, receiving a probation sentence. The loss of Officer Keliipio devastated the police department, deeply impacting his colleagues and community, and serves as a solemn reminder of the responsibilities that come with the badge.

Officer Bronson Kaimana Kaliloa was 46 when he was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in upper Puna. On the evening of July 17, Officer Kaliloa and other officers responded to a traffic stop of a wanted individual in the area of Kukui Camp Road in Mountain View. As officers approached the vehicle, the wanted fugitive fired multiple shots at Officer Kaliloa, striking him in the neck and leg. Officer Kaliloa was transported to Hilo Medical Center where he died at 12:45 a.m. on July 18.

When the fugitive shot Officer Kaliloa, other officers returned fire as the suspect ran into nearby dense brush. An intense island-wide manhunt was conducted and the fugitive was found on July 20, 2018, when several of his associates attempted to smuggle him in an SUV through a vehicle checkpoint in South Point. As a member of our Special Response Team opened the rear hatch of the SUV, the fugitive emerged from underneath a blanket and shot him. (That officer survived). Other members of the SRT team returned fire, killing the fugitive and wounding one of the other subjects. All of the subjects were taken into custody and held as accomplices.

Every July, members of Hawaiʻi Police Department participate in the Bronson Kaliloa Memorial Relay Run in honor of our most recent fallen officer.