Investigators say Benedict
By Jaymes Song
‘Tiki’ Manupule fired first
Star-Bulletin
An off-duty police officer shot and killed a Kalihi Valley teen in the parking lot of the Mayor Wright Housing project early this morning, police said. Two children also were injured by stray gunfire in unrelated incidents reported last night.
In the Mayor Wright shooting, the officer, who was wearing street clothes while visiting his mother, witnessed the 18-year-old man "pointing a handgun at several people and firing rounds into the air" at about 1:35 a.m., said detective Daniel Paperd.
When the officer identified himself and ordered the man to drop the gun, the suspect turned and allegedly fired at the officer, police said.
Paperd said the officer, who was not shot, returned fire and hit the teen in the chest.
The victim was identified as Benedict "Tiki" Manupule, who had just turned 18.
He was taken to Queen's Hospital, 9 where he died at 3:55 a.m.
Police said a woman, who was standing by the suspect, was shot in the shoulder sometime during the gun fire.
Police are still investigating whether the woman was shot by the officer or by the suspect. She was treated and released from St. Francis Hospital.
Paperd said the officer fired a total of three rounds. The suspect fired between two and five rounds. Mayor Wright residents said they thought the gunfire was just fireworks and didn't think much of it at the time.
A boy and a girl were also shot last night by people firing guns into the air, police said.
Police said a boy, 15, was shot in the arm as he was standing on Neal Avenue in Wahiawa at 11:30 p.m. He suffered minor injuries.
A 7-year-old Ewa Beach girl was shot in her foot while playing with fireworks in front of her house at 11:15 p.m.
The girl was lighting fireworks in front of her Puhilaka Place home when she started to scream in pain, police said. She was taken to St. Francis-West Hospital, where X-rays showed a bullet was lodged in her foot.
