Hawaii Island police identify man found dead in Fern Acres
The murder investigation is ongoing.
BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii Island police have identified the man that was found dead on the side of a road in a Puna subdivision Saturday.
The man was identified as 45-year-old Denton Freitas of Mountain View. He was found with apparent gunshot wounds to his body and spent casings nearby, police said.
Authorities launched a murder investigation after responding to the scene along Anthurium Street in the Fern Acres subdivision around 1:45 p.m.
A motorist passing by reported seeing the body to officers who then shut down the street to investigate.
A resident who lives on the street said she heard gunshots a few minutes apart.
“Boom boom boom and then it stopped and then it happened again and then probably a third time," said Ferns Acres resident Alicia Leardi.
“I came up to the corner and I found out that the cops were here and I couldn’t go home,” said Peter Leardi, who lives in Fern Acres. “There’s been some shootings out here before. We’re in the wild west back here in Fern Acres.”
The street has since reopened but the investigation continues. Hawaii Island police have not yet reported any arrests in connection to the apparent murder.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311 or detective Wendall Carter at (808) 961-2383.
This story will be updated.
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