Teen suspect
charged in
Punchbowl shootingThe 17-year-old boy
has more than 10 arrests
as a juvenile
Police charged a 17-year-old male with attempted murder and seven other offenses yesterday in connection with the shooting of a Punchbowl man in his home Thursday during a botched robbery.
Miti Maugaotega was also charged last night with burglary, robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. He remains in custody at the state Detention Facility for juveniles at 902 Alder St.
According to police, no bail is set in juvenile felony cases. Maugaotega is scheduled to appear before a state Family Court judge Monday.
This is not the first time Maugaotega has been in trouble with the law. He has more than 10 arrests as a juvenile, some of them felonies, police sources said.
Because he is under 18, Maugaotega was charged on the eight charges as a juvenile. However, Honolulu City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said Maugaotega could be charged as an adult later.
Carlisle said: "If it turns out ... somebody used a weapon against a civilian during the course of a burglary and shot him in a location that was close to being fatal, then that is somebody who we will attempt to charge as an adult, attempt to convict and attempt to get a life sentence for and with a mandatory minimum for the use of a firearm."
Police said the victim, 43-year-old Eric Kawamoto, is recovering, and they were able to talk to him yesterday.
He was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition Thursday with a gunshot wound to his chest. Police said he was shot after he surprised a burglar in his Puowaina Drive home.
Several neighbors heard Kawamoto yelling and found him lying on the ground in front of his home bleeding from his chest, still conscious and telling them that someone in the house had shot him.
After scouring the area, police arrested Maugaotega in a canal behind the Hawaii Baptist Academy Elementary Campus several blocks away. They recovered a handgun in the school's courtyard.
Maugaotega's stepmother said he went to American Samoa about two years ago. He returned to Hawaii three months ago and has been living with his grandmother and sister in Mayor Wright Housing, she said.