Castle H.S. coaches: Former quarterback killed in front of family home this morning
A man in his mid-20s died this morning following a shooting in front of a home on Waikalua Road in Kaneohe, Honolulu police Capt. Kent Harada said.
The shooting occurred at 3:48 a.m., Harada said.
Homicide investigators are still at the scene and are also investigating the case as an attempted murder on a man in his early 20s, Harada said. The younger victim was not injured, Harada said.
No suspects are in custody.
Friends and coaches at Castle High School identified the dead man as Joel Botelho, a standout quarterback and shooting guard for Castle’s football and basketball teams who graduated in 2002 and went on to play football at the University of Montana Western.
They said the other man involved in the shooting is Botelho’s younger brother, who they called "Bubba."
The shooting occurred in front of the home of the Botelhos’ parents, said Castle’s head football coach, Nelson Maeda.
Maeda called Joel Botelho’s death "devastating news."
Botelho worked in construction in Kailua-Kona and was visiting his family in Kaneohe over the holidays, said Mark Lum, who was an assistant football coach at Castle, lives five minutes from the family home and remains close with the Botelho family.
"His family came first," Lum said.
Botelho was "5-foot-9 at the most and 145 pounds when he played" but was a smart and determined player who captained the football team and was a leader on and off the field, Lum said.
"I don’t think we’ll ever have another Joey Botelho," Lum said.
In his senior year at Castle, Botelho passed for 16 touchdowns and ran for seven more.
In 2001, Botelho was named the OIA East Player of The Year in football.
In basketball, Botelho was named to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s third team All-State Team in 2002.
The Honolulu Quarterbacks Club named Botelho the Male Prep Athlete for 2002 for multiple sports.
He went on to the University of Montana Western, where he was a standout wide receiver and kick returner but came back home to attend Windward Community College in 2003.
He told The Honolulu Advertiser at the time that he planned to walk on at the University of Hawaii as a wide receiver.
Botelho had three children from different relationships, Lum said.
