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 53 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 50

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

Permanent identifier: BO-US-HI-40F5D98F
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
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 →

Officer Samson Kalohelani Paele Sr. is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In HI, 31 of 64 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 48.4% of this state's fallen. That is 48.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Honolulu Police Department, 20 of 51 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 39.2% of this agency's fallen.

Honolulu Police Department

of 51 officers

39.2% Felonious

HI — Statewide

of 64 officers

48.4% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious