HAWAII COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT
KONA PATROL DIVISION
OFFICER WALTER AH MOW
PHONE: 326-4646
AUGUST 12, 2001
G-77269
MEDIA RELEASE
A 44-year-old Kailua-Kona man died Sunday (August 12, 2001) in an apparent hunting accident after he was shot with an arrow.
The victim was identified as Thomas Depontes, 44, of Kailua-Kona.
Police learned that Depontes was sheep hunting with his two sons in the Puuwaawaa Ranch area of South Kohala when he was shot.
His 18-year-old son, Thomas, apparently shot an arrow at a sheep and missed, but the arrow ricocheted off a rock and struck the father in the upper chest. According to witnesses, Depontes pulled the arrow out, walked a few steps and then collapsed.
The victim was driven to the Rangers’ check-in station on Hawaii Belt Road (Route 190) where summoned rescue personnel picked up the victim and drove him to the North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea, where he was pronounced dead at 2:40 p.m.
Police have tentatively classified the death as a public accident. They have ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and are continuing the investigation.
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