Big Island dog dies after being shot at least three times

A Hōlualoa dog was found shot at least three times after slipping from a fenced yard off Old Poi Factory Road, turning a missing-pet search into an unresolved violence case with neighborhood-safety implications. Janelle Milewski Gomes said she still does not know who fired the shots or why, and her report to police has raised questions about whether the shooting will be treated as animal cruelty and what it says about safety in West Hawaii.

Gomes said Lehani, a 9-year-old mixed-breed dog, escaped Friday, June 20, and she and others spent more than 24 hours searching the woods and lava tubes around Hōlualoa. On Sunday, June 22, Gomes heard a bark, looked outside and found the dog badly injured on a wall near her home. Lehani could barely move and was taken straight to a veterinarian.

What the veterinarian found was more disturbing than a wild-animal attack. X-rays showed one bullet entered through an ear, traveled through the head and shattered Lehani’s jaw. Another round fractured both paws, and a third was still lodged in the spine. Lehani later died from the injuries.

Gomes said she filed a weapons incident report with the Hawaii Police Department and was told it was her responsibility to keep the dog inside the gate. She said human beings also have a responsibility not to be cruel. The case now sits at the intersection of pet ownership, firearms and accountability in a close-knit Kona community where an unidentified shooter could still pose a risk to other animals, and possibly to people.

Hawaii County created the Animal Control and Protection Agency effective July 1, 2023, and county animal-control duties are now handled countywide through that agency rather than the police department. The county says the agency’s mission is to safeguard both people and animals and improve quality of life for animals and their people. The Hawaiian Humane Society says it investigates tips of potential animal cruelty and abuse, and urges residents to call 911 if an animal incident poses an immediate threat to public safety or an animal.

Under Hawaii law, second-degree cruelty to animals includes intentionally, knowingly or recklessly mutilating, poisoning or killing without need any animal, a charge that is generally a misdemeanor but can carry enhanced penalties in some circumstances. In Hōlualoa, where coffee first took root in 1828 and the area remains tied to Kona’s agricultural identity, the killing of a family dog has landed as more than a private loss. It is now a test of whether someone will be held accountable for firing into a neighborhood and leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.