The night of September 7, 2023, ended in gunfire on Kahili Mountain Road in Kīlauea, Kauaʻi. Kith Silva-Lacro, a 28-year-old Native Hawaiian man, was shot and killed, and a second person was also wounded in the same incident and initially reported in stable condition. 
As word spread, the case quickly turned into a search that felt islandwide. Police identified Chris Santos as the wanted suspect and warned the public not to approach him, while also cautioning that anyone helping
him—by offering rides, money, weapons, or other support—could face prosecution for hindering a felony case. 
In the days that followed, the hunt tightened around neighborhoods and roads, and everyday routines were interrupted by precautionary closures and school lockdowns as tips and reported sightings came in. Authorities described a multi-agency effort involving local police working alongside federal partners, trying to corner a suspect they believed was still on Kauaʻi. 
On the evening of September 17, officers located Santos near Kekaha Beach Park while he was driving, and the standoff ended in an officer-involved shooting after repeated attempts to get him to surrender peacefully. He was taken to Wilcox Hospital for treatment and remained in custody as investigators secured the scene and continued the broader casework. 
Authorities later said Santos was charged with Murder in the Second Degree and Attempted Murder in the First Degree, along with other felony charges tied to the same violent episode. Reporting around the case also identified the second shooting victim as Allanah Kamahana. 
Investigators did not treat the arrest as the end of the story. In October 2023, Branden-Joy Rivera Calzada of Līhuʻe was arrested on a warrant in connection with the investigation, facing charges that included Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree and multiple weapons- and firearm-storage-related offenses. 
Away from the police updates and search headlines, Silva-Lacro was remembered by family and community in more personal terms—known by the nickname “Nalu,” born on Kauaʻi, associated with construction work, and described in memorial notices as someone whose warmth and presence were deeply missed. 
The criminal case ultimately moved from manhunt to courtroom, where reporting later described Santos accepting a plea that reduced the most serious charge to manslaughter and receiving a 20-year prison sentence in December 2025, alongside additional convictions and concurrent terms tied to the broader sequence of events that followed the shooting and his capture. 
