Troy Barboza was a 24-year-old Honolulu police officer killed at his Manoa apartment on Ferdinand Avenue on October 22, 1987. Barboza had been working undercover in narcotics, and the killing was tied directly to his police work: official accounts say the shooter was someone Barboza had helped arrest and charge during a drug investigation, and that person subsequently learned where Barboza lived. Reports describe Barboza being shot with a shotgun while in his living room chair, an attack framed as retaliation rather than a random act.

Authorities identified the killer as Anthony Tony Williams, described in reporting as a California drug dealer arrested after Barboza’s undercover operation. Williams fled to San Diego after the shooting but was returned to Hawaii following an operation that involved mainland undercover officers. He was tried and convicted in 1988 for Barboza’s murder and sentenced to life without parole. Barboza’s death has remained a notable and tragic moment in Honolulu law enforcement history.

If anyone knew Barboza, witnessed activity around his Ferdinand Avenue apartment in October 1987, or has information relating to this case, please share what is known.