Hundreds paid their final respects late last week to a 16-year-old Hilo High School junior who died in January from injuries he received after being struck as a pedestrian by an on-duty Hawaii Police Department officer at the wheel of a blue-and-white police cruiser.
The memorial for Sam Mwarey was a two-day affair that started Thursday morning with a motorcade accompanying a sport-utility vehicle pulling a customized trailer carrying his casket.
The procession drove by the Hilo High campus and the Lanakila Learning Center, as well as the site of the collision, where a roadside memorial is set up on Kapiolani Street between Mohouli and West Lanakila streets in Hilo.
Hilo High School Principal Jasmine Urasaki said she watched the motorcade drive by from Lanakila Learning Center, where Mwarey attended classes.
“I was with his classmates and friends, and his teacher, Ms. (Wendy) Hamane,” Urasaki said. “And his friends miss him terribly, of course.
“It’s a very difficult time, and I hope everybody can recover and be strong, hopefully.”
The motorcade had a police escort at the request of Mwarey’s family, according to HPD Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz.
An all-night vigil was held Thursday afternoon to Friday morning. Urasaki said she attended to pay her respects.
Then on Friday morning, visitation and a funeral Mass were held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, where Mwarey was an altar server.
Mwarey, who died shortly after midnight on Jan. 8, was laid to rest Friday at Homelani Memorial Park’s Ilima Section.
Prayers for the teen and condolences to the family continued to pour in via social media. Among the most eloquent was an elegiac tribute posted by Kaitlin Beatty, significant other of Mwarey’s brother, Stan.
“No words can express and explain how I feel,” Beatty said. “The love I have for you is endless and my heart will always be with you. I miss you so much Sam. Every single person you meet you touch them deeply with your soul. Thank you for always making me smile and laugh and keeping everyone around you happy.
“You have no idea how much you mean to me and how proud of you I am. You have been taken from this world too soon because I know that you would have gone and done amazing things for yourself. I love you with all my heart Sam. Be at peace my baby and know that we will always love and miss you.
“I know I will see you one day and you’ll make me laugh again.”
Beatty set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for Mwarey’s medical and funeral expenses. As of Friday, it had raised $10,330 of a $25,000 goal.
The officer driving the 2008 Ford sedan, an 18-year HPD veteran, is still on paid administrative leave pending two investigations — a traffic collision investigation by the department’s East Hawaii Traffic Enforcement Unit, and a critical incident review by the Office of Professional Standards, the department’s internal affairs unit.
Moszkowicz said the department still hasn’t received a toxicology report about Mwarey — but once that’s in hand, he expects both investigations to wrap up soon.
“The officer’s toxicology was clean, but we’re waiting on the toxicology report on the victim and the autopsy report. It’s one big package that gets put together before we can finish up” the investigations, Moszkowicz said. “The critical incident review is still waiting on the traffic collision investigation, and the traffic collision investigation is still waiting for the autopsy report, which should be coming fairly shortly.”
According to police, Mwarey was wearing dark clothing and was walking on Kapiolani Street in the middle of the roadway, not in a marked crosswalk.
The police cruiser was not operating in an emergency response mode, and the driver had the vehicle’s blue pilot light illuminated. Police say there was minimal lighting in the area, and it was raining at the time of the collision.
Moszkowicz called the young man’s death and the mourning that continues “a tragic situation for everybody in the community.”
“We’re certainly very saddened,” he said. “Any traffic collision, whether it involves officers or not, is a tragedy, something that nobody anticipates and certainly has life-changing effects.
“We extend our condolences to the victim and the family, and if there is anything we can do, we leave the doors open. We’ll help with anything that we can.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
