On the afternoon of November 25, 2025, emergency responders were called to the parking lot of the Mountain View Mini Mart in Mountain View, Hawaiʻi, after reports that a man had been shot multiple times. According to police and subsequent news coverage, the victim was later identified as 52-year-old John Marshall Marrou, authorities describe him as living in the Volcano area of Hawaiʻi Island and note that he succumbed to his injuries after being transported from the scene to Hilo Benioff
Medical Center, where he was officially pronounced dead. Initially, police referred to him only as a 52-year-old Hilo man, withholding his name pending positive identification and notification of next of kin, before releasing his full identity the following day in an updated statement.
Investigators say that the shooting unfolded shortly after 1:30 p.m., when Puna patrol officers were dispatched to the convenience store's parking lot on Volcano Road after callers reported that a man had been shot several times and that the shooter remained on the property with a firearm. Witnesses described hearing gunshots and then seeing a man lying on the ground while another individual stayed nearby, allegedly still in possession of the weapon. Responding officers and Hawaiʻi Fire Department personnel found Marrou on the pavement with multiple gunshot wounds and immediately attempted life-saving measures; despite their efforts and his rapid transport to the hospital, he could not be saved. An autopsy was scheduled for November 28 to determine the precise medical cause of death, consistent with standard procedure in homicide investigations on the island.
From the outset, the investigation focused on a single suspect who was still at the scene when officers arrived. Police state that they immediately arrested 40-year-old Joseph Davis, a resident of Volcano in the Puna district, on suspicion of second-degree murder. Officers noted that Davis had a small zippered bag that witnesses reported seeing him place a firearm into immediately after the shooting; detectives later executed a search warrant on that bag and recovered a pistol matching the description of the weapon used, identified in local reporting as a. 38-caliber Taurus revolver. A bicycle that Davis had allegedly used to arrive at the store was also seized, and additional bags attached to it were searched, yielding more ammunition connected to the case.
After conferring with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, authorities formally charged Davis on November 26, 2025, with second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and place to keep ammunition. His bail was set at approximately $1.5 million, and he was scheduled to make an initial appearance in Hilo District Court on November 28 while being held at the East Hawaiʻi Detention Facility. Police and multiple news outlets have consistently described Davis as the sole suspect in the shooting, and there have been no public indications that investigators are seeking any additional suspects. At the same time, the Hawaiʻi Police Department has emphasized that the case remains an active murder investigation and has repeatedly appealed for witnesses or anyone with information about the events leading up to the shooting to contact Detective Lisa Ebesugawa of the Area I Criminal Investigation Section.
In the days following the incident, Marrou's death was added to the National Gun Violence Memorial, which records him as having been lost to gun violence in Mountain View, Hawaiʻi, on November 25, 2025, and links to the cluster of local news and police sources documenting the case. Community coverage on Hawaiʻi Island has framed the killing as part of a troubling pattern of recent gun violence in the area, and while authorities have not publicly identified a motive or detailed the relationship, if any, between Marrou and Davis, they continue to build the case through forensic analysis of the recovered weapon and ammunition, autopsy findings, and witness testimony for eventual presentation in court.
