Police arrested two men Saturday in a double shooting inside a reported game room in Chinatown that left a woman dead and another man injured.

The woman’s family identified her as Tara Tavaga, 44, of Halawa.

Police said the shooting happened during an attempted robbery inside Cuties Cafe on North King Street at about 1:50 a.m. Tavaga was shot in the chest, and the man, 25, was shot in the shoulder and was in stable condition, police said. Police found both victims outside the business.

Paramedics treated Tavaga and took her in critical condition to a hospital, where she died.

Police arrested a 29-year-old man for investigation of robbery shortly after the shooting. About 8:30 p.m., a second man, 30, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted murder, and robbery, a police spokeswoman said.

Honolulu police Maj. Larry Lawson said a group of people went to rob the business.

Friends said Tavaga was known as a peacemaker who may have been trying to intervene when she was shot.

Tavaga’s mother, Regina Tauala, said her daughter exemplified her middle name, Alohamaluhiaauhau‘oli, which means love, peace and happiness.

“She would bring peace to people if there was conflict,” she said at her home in Makalapa Manor. “She had a big heart.”

She said Tavaga paid for others if they were short of money and bought meals for destitute families. She said Tavaga once paid for a stranger’s taxi fare because the woman was intoxicated and Tavaga wanted her to get home safely.

“A very warm heart,” Tauala said. “She was really loving, caring and a strong person.”

She noted that Tavaga often stood up for the underdog and the elderly and was ready to fight if necessary.

“She’s not afraid to put people in their spot,” her mother said. “She was very loving, although she would also be watching out for someone.”

Tauala said her daughter occasionally stayed with her.

Meg Dias-Pilago said Tavaga, her niece, helped store owners in Chinatown, one time returning a fighting fish that someone had stolen from a shop. Another time, her mother said, Tavaga took the keys for a stolen car from a car thief and returned the vehicle to its owner.

Dias-Pilago said her niece was funny and a “good talker.”

Whitney, a friend of Tavaga’s who gave only her first name, said Tavaga often hung out in the area near Longs Drugs downtown where Whitney lives on the street. She said Tavaga often spoke of her four grandchildren, who were her priority.

She said Tavaga was a witty and “solid person” who seemed like the mother of the place, often intervening when Whitney and her husband argued.

“She would mellow it out, like she would calm him down,” Whitney said. “Only she would be able to do that.”

She said Tavaga always made sure others were OK, even if it exposed her to trouble, and garnered respect from regulars in the area.

“When she spoke, we all listened,” Whitney said. “That’s the presence that she brought.”

She suspected Tavaga was trying to calm the gunman down when she was shot.

“Out of everybody, she would have been the first one to intervene in a situation like that, which I think that’s what it led to,” she said.

Tavaga is survived by her son, Raymond; her sister, Totie; and four young grandsons, Raymond, Mesziah, Legend and Legacy.