Man, 52, convicted of shooting HPD officer in July 2019
HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT
Tony D.V. Souza, 52. Souza was found guilty of attempted murder and four felony firearm offenses Monday in connection with the July 29, 2019 shooting of two Honolulu police officers at a home near Pokai Bay, according to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.
A 52-year-old man was found guilty of attempted murder and four felony firearm offenses Monday in connection with the July 29, 2019 shooting of a Honolulu police officer at a home near Pokai Bay, according to the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.
A jury found Tony D.V. Souza, 52, guilty of shooting an officer who had gone to a home near Pokai Bay in Waianae on July 29, 2019, to follow up a lead in a credit card fraud case.
The officer, at the time a six-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department, survived gunshot wounds to his hand and chest from a single bullet.
Another officer ended the encounter by shooting Souza in the hand and leg with a single gunshot.
The injured officer and Souza went to the hospital by ambulance, the officer was in critical condition, and Souza was in serious condition.
A bullet remains in the officer’s body to this day, according to prosecutors.
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Attempted murder in the second degree carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors, but if sentenced to an extended term, Souza would face a “mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and two firearm offenses would warrant a sentence of life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.”
At the time, Souza was arrested for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, but two days after his arrest he was transferred to the then-state Department of Public Safety, which had a no-bail, parole retake warrant for his arrest.
A state jury found Souza guilty of attempted murder in April 1990 after Souza stabbed his friend in the neck without warning after smoking crystal methamphetamine.
A state judge sentenced Souza in June 1990 to life in prison with possible release on parole. The Hawaii Paroling Authority granted Souza parole in November 1998, December 2002 and September 2013.
“Taking Mr. Souza off the street makes us all safer,” said Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm, in a statement. “Souza has now been found guilty twice for attempted murder, showing a callous disregard for life. We thank our officers for the courageous work they do every day and Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell for successfully prosecuting this case.”
Souza is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 16, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Trish Morikawa.
