A 21-year-old father charged with manslaughter in the death of his 5-month-old son admitted to violently shaking the child because the infant was crying while he was trying to relax and play video games at their home in Kapolei, according to a police affidavit.
Huakai Kalamau, also known as Huakai Hookelelehiatane Self, made his initial appearance Friday at District Family Court in Honolulu before Judge Linda Martell via videoconferencing from the courthouse cellblock.
If convicted of the Class A felony, Kalamau will face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. He is in custody at the Oahu Community Correctional Center in lieu of $300,000 bail.
The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the baby’s name at this time. Family members on social media identified him as Ali‘i Kalamau.
Police and Emergency Medical Services responded to a call of an unresponsive baby in the parking lot of the Kaiser Permanente Kapolei Clinic at 599 Farrington Highway just after 6:20 p.m. Monday.
When they arrived, an emergency medical technician observed Kalamau performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the baby. Police said the infant was taken by ambulance to The Queen’s Medical Center-West Oahu in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy revealed the infant had severe internal injuries that included a fracture to his left collarbone, subdural hemorrhaging, hemorrhaging to both optic nerves, thoracic spine fracture and rib fractures, according to new court documents filed Friday at District Court.
Kalamau initially told police he was feeding his son formula when he noticed the child had stopped breathing. His sister-in-law drove them to the Kaiser Permanente Kapolei Clinic, but the facility was closed.
Kalamau performed CPR on his son in a grassy area of the parking lot until an ambulance arrived.
During an investigation into the baby’s death, police said, Kalamau agreed to take a polygraph test. At the end of the examination, he allegedly admitted he wasn’t truthful in his initial statement to police.
Kalamau then told police he was tired and “just wanted to relax” and play video games after a weekend of drill duties for the U.S. Army Reserve, the affidavit said. He also told police he was under stress because of financial struggles.
Kalamau is a private first class assigned to the 411th Engineer Battalion, 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. The soldier has been with the unit for 3-1/2 years, according to Maj. Melodie Tafao, spokeswoman for the Army Reserve 9th Mission Support Command at Fort Shafter Flats.
The affidavit said the baby was in his playpen while Kalamau played video games online with friends. About two hours after Kalamau’s wife left for work, the baby woke up and began to cry, according to the affidavit.
Kalamau told police he became upset and swiftly picked up his son from the playpen, causing the baby’s upper body to flex backward. As the baby cried louder, Kalamau began “violently shaking” his son for a duration of 30 to 60 seconds and stopped after the baby became limp and unresponsive, police said.
Kalamau performed chest compressions in an attempt to revive the child.
He told police he just wanted his baby to stop crying and didn’t intend to hurt or kill him, the affidavit said.
When asked to comment on the incident, Lt. Col. Frederick Howard, deputy commander of the 303rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, said, “All we’re doing right now is mourning the loss of the child and doing what we can for the family in their time of need.”
