Malia Soma-Valmoja was 30 and from Wahiawa when she was killed in a shooting on January 11, 2020 in the Whitmore Village area. The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office identified her after the fatal shooting, and her death became a focal point of public grief across Oʻahu.

The site tied to her death was state-controlled land near Whitmore Village that residents and lawmakers had long described as attracting crime. After the killing, her family and supporters pushed for government action, and officials began describing the area as too dangerous to patrol routinely. Investigators later charged Bernard DeCoito in connection with the shooting; reporting at the time said he was held on $1 million bail, accused of shooting Soma-Valmoja during an argument, and entered a not-guilty plea to manslaughter. A late February 2020 sweep of the property uncovered dumping and signs of criminal activity and led to several arrests, with officials linking cleanup efforts to the response prompted by her death.

If anyone knew Malia or has information about the shooting, please come forward to help her family and the ongoing inquiries.