Hawaiʻi Police Department
South Kohala District
Captain Aimee Wana
Phone: 887-3080
Report No. C120151601
Media Release
A 49-year-old Kawaihae man died Monday (June 4) while working on a roof in Waimea.
South Kohala Police investigating the 2:55 p.m. incident determined that the man who died, Barry Bokmej, and another man were hired to make repairs at a home on Alo Loa Street in Waimea. Bokmej was reportedly pressure-washing the roof while the other worker was weeding the yard with a machine.
The person who hired them stopped at the house to check on their progress and found Bokmej lying face down on the roof and unresponsive. When the two men on the ground were unable to get his attention, they called 911.
Fire Department rescue personnel extricated Bokmej from the roof and took him to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:41 p.m.
Police do not suspect foul play. The case is being investigated as a coroner’s inquest. Police have ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
