Keaʻau man arrested in fatal Puna shooting

A 49-year-old Keaʻau man, Bryant Scott Guevarra, has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision of Puna.

On the night of September 19, 2026, Puna patrol officers responded to the 15-1500 block of Makuʻu Drive after receiving a call from a man reporting that he had been attacked and had shot another person. Upon arrival, officers found 41-year-old Jose Adame Romero unresponsive with multiple apparent gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts by officers and the Hawaiʻi Fire Department, Romero was pronounced deceased at 10:44 p.m.

Guevarra, who was the caller and remained at the scene, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder and transported to the East Hawaiʻi Detention Facility. Detectives from the Area I Criminal Investigation Section are continuing their investigation, and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause and manner of death.