Some Maui High School students showed up for school Friday in red gang colors to honor the memory of a 15-year-old ninth-grader from Kahului who died earlier in the day after mixing prescription pills and beer at a party at a home that was broken into.
A 19-year-old from Kihei who was also at the party in Kahului was taken to Maui Memorial Hospital and was in stable condition Friday morning and was expected to be released.
Parents of students from both Maui High School and neighboring Baldwin High School were sent letters in the aftermath of the Maui High School boy’s death that encouraged them to look for signs of grief in their children, said Bruce Anderson, complex area superintendent.
Anderson did not know whether the 15-year-old boy was affiliated with a gang, but said not all of the students who showed up in red on Friday belong to a gang.
"Normally schools have rules against that kind of thing," Anderson said. "Our kids here on Maui were very respectful, and they were sad."
Maui police were on the Maui High School campus Friday, and several students took advantage of school counseling services, Anderson said.
"There were no major incidents," Anderson said. "The kids listened and went to counseling sessions."
At 1:23 a.m. Friday, Maui police received a call of an unresponsive male at the Kahului residence, where police found the 15-year-old, who died at the scene.
"The investigation revealed the victim to have brought prescription pain medications to a party at the residence the night before and offered it to other party-goers," police said in a statement. "The owner of the residence was off island and was unaware that people had broken into his home without permission to have a beer party. The owner did not give anyone permission to enter or remain on his property, while out of town."
An investigation into how the victim was able to obtain prescription pain medication and who gained access to the home is ongoing, police said.
Maui police had not had problems with teenagers breaking into empty homes to throw parties, said Lt. Wayne Ibarra.
But in general, "parties and drugs are always on everybody’s radar," Anderson said. "It’s a communitywide problem."
Christina Andersson, clinical director of youth services for both Aloha House and Maui Youth & Family Services, said prescription drug abuse among Maui teenagers is rising.
"I don’t know about breaking into homes and partying, but prescription drug use is increasingly more and more of a problem," Andersson said.
She emphasized that mixing alcohol with prescription drugs can lead to deadly consequences.
"Mixing alcohol and prescription drugs — two downers — can kill you," she said. "My heart is broken to hear about this boy and his family. I’m really sad about it."
