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Officer

Samson Kalohelani Paele Sr.

Honolulu Police Department — Honolulu, HI

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch July 24, 1927

Age 44

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

The Vigil Panel 121 · Column 4 · Line 9 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Military Memorials 1 Also Remembered Department 51

Incident

Officer Samson Paele was killed, and his wife was wounded, after being shot at their home in Wahiawa by a man he had arrested earlier in the evening. He had stopped the man for driving recklessly and discovered he was drunk. Because the man was known to him and the distance to the jail, he let the man return home with a promise that he would come to court the following morning. Officer Paele went home after his shift. He and his wife were leaving the home around 7:30 p.m., when the subject and the subject's wife approached them. The man opened fire, killing Officer Paele and wounding his wife. The 46-year-old man then shot himself in an attempt to commit suicide. His suicide attempt left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life. Officer Paele was a United States Army WWI veteran and had served with the Honolulu Police Department for six years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and son.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Paele gave the Honolulu Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Honolulu community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Honolulu Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Honolulu, Honolulu County, HI

Platform Identity hpd.honolulu.hi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 24, 1927

Tour of Duty 6 yrs

Age 44

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun

Military Service

Samson Kalohelani Paele Sr. served in the the United States military before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Samson is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1927, 220 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 6th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Samson was 44. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Samson had served 6 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

July holds 9.3% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was gun, in 22.8% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded