Verdict hardly calms Punchbowl residents
| • | Punchbowl burglar found guilty of attempted murder |
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
The man who shot Punchbowl resident Eric Kawamoto was found guilty of attempted murder yesterday, but the jury's decision did little to ease the anxiety of some of Kawamoto's neighbors, who said the stretch of street where the shooting took place is still treacherous.
Manami Keuning, who lives right across the street, said neighbors joked in the months after the shooting that police should open an office in the neighborhood. She said she has raised her awareness level and that her husband told her to call the police about anything suspicious.
"It's our house, and we have to live where we live," Keuning said. "Even after the tragedy, the crime level is still the same."
On June 26, Miti Maugaotega Jr. broke into Kawamoto's Puowaina Drive home, robbed him at gunpoint and shot him in the chest from about five feet away. Maugaotega also was convicted of related drug and weapons offenses.
In his trial testimony, Maugaotega said he had chosen to burglarize Kawamoto's house because no one was home when he entered it. He said he did not plan to shoot Kawamoto, 44, but did so after Kawamoto followed his orders to go down stairs but then began to come back up.
"It's a bad area, man — people know it, the cops know it," said Glen James, a musician from Kaua'i who lives four houses down from Kawamoto. "You live around here, you're asking for it."
Connie Knighton lives across the street from Kawamoto. She said the shooting motivated her to report all suspicious activity to police.
Knighton did not hear shots on the day of the shooting, but did hear shouts for help at about 4:30 p.m. When she went to Kawamoto's home, she found him lying in a pool of blood on the stoop outside his house.
"I hope he's (Maugaotega) in jail for a long time," Knighton said. "He is a terrible person and he should be off the streets."
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
