Police are looking for a 27-year-old man in a manslaughter investigation into the death of a man early today at a homeless encampment in Waiehu.
The suspect was identified as Charleston Koko.
Police were called to the encampment at the end of Kaae Road in the area known as Wailuku Rivermouth at 2:25 a.m. to investigate a report that four men were fighting, said Lt. Jayson Rego of the Criminal Investigation Division.
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Charleston Koko
He said officers found a 50-year-old man unresponsive in a tent and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The man was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, Rego said.
The police investigation revealed that the victim had been involved in an argument that became physical with his nephew Koko, who lives in another tent at the location, Rego said. Koko reportedly threw the victim to the ground and mounted him before the two were separated by other family members, Rego said.
The victim went back to his tent, where he collapsed, he said.
An autopsy is scheduled Monday for the victim, who had no outward sign of injuries, Rego said.
Koko, who fled before police arrived, is described as Hawaiian, 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He has been known to frequent the Wailuku town and Waiehu Hawaiian Homes areas.
