A 34-year-old man charged with murder in connection with Thursday’s shooting death of a 57-year-old man at a townhouse complex parking lot in Ewa Beach made his initial appearance at Honolulu District Court on Monday.
Patrick M. Tuputala was charged Saturday with second-degree murder in the death of Phillip Huth. He was also charged with two firearm-related offenses.
Tuputala is being held at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $1 million aggregate bail.
District 8 police officers responded to a report of gunshots heard and a male with gunshot wounds at Palm Villas, 91-229 Puamaeole St., at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
When they arrived, they saw a man later identified as Huth on the ground in the parking lot with gunshot wounds to his torso, police said in court documents. Three spent 9-millimeter cartridge casings were also seen near him.
Prior to the shooting, witnesses said a male driver stopped next to Huth’s golf cart and “appeared upset” as he spoke with Huth. It’s unclear what the men were talking about.
Shortly afterward, police said, witnesses heard three gunshots. Area surveillance camera footage showed a gray Kia Rio sedan leaving the scene after the shooting.
A witness told police the sedan is regularly parked at the townhouse complex parking lot and that the vehicle is normally driven by a male who lives in a unit at Palm Villas.
Two residents performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Huth until Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived and took over. He was taken in critical condition to The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu, where he died.
Police investigators identified Tuputala as the suspect, and a CrimeStoppers bulletin was issued seeking the public’s help in locating him.
A short time after the bulletin was released, Tuputala turned himself in that night at the state sheriffs’ Keawe Street office in Kakaako. Police were notified and arrested him there on suspicion of second-degree murder.
Court documents indicated Tuputala called his girlfriend Thursday morning and told her, “I shot Phil.” The girlfriend told investigators Tuputala “had been depressed and had anxiety for the last few months.”
A GoFundMe account created to help with funeral expenses for Huth described him as resident manager of Palm Villas and that he had a warm smile and friendly demeanor. Donations can be made at 808ne.ws/philliphuth.
