On May 7, 2024, an autopsy was performed on 47-year-old Chad Gilbert Keala Shimaoka of Honomu, which indicated that he had died of an accidental drowning.

On Thursday afternoon, May 2, 2024, shortly after 1:00 p.m., South Hilo patrol officers and Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel responded to a report of a drowning at Kolekole Beach Park located in Honomu.

Responding personnel arrived to bystanders performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on the victim. Witnesses reported observing Shimaoka and a friend enter the water with a kayak and was thrown off of his kayak on a least two separate occasions. Witnesses reported seeing him flailing his arms in the air in distress, then observed him appear lifeless floating on the surface of the water. Witnesses entered the water to retrieve Shimaoka and brought him to shore where they immediately started CPR.

Shimaoka was transported to the Hilo Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:00 p.m.

Police ask anyone who may have information relative to this case to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311, or Detective Kimo Keli’ipa’akaua of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section at (808) 961-2375 or email kimo.keliipaakaua@hawaiicounty.gov