On August 28, 2022, Manuel “Manny” Gregory Anthony Carvalho, an 11-year-old male, went to Camp Honokaia near Honokaʻa on Hawaiʻi Island for a Boy Scout Troop activity that was meant to feel like a celebration. By mid-afternoon, the tone of the day shattered. Responders were called to the camp around 2:30 p.m. after reports that a child was unconscious near the rifle range. When police and firefighters arrived, they found Manny down with what appeared to be a single gunshot wound.
He was rushed to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators later described the moment as both sudden and preventable: an unsupervised minor picked up a loaded firearm at the range and, as he was placing it back down, it discharged. The round struck Manny in the head. Police said the shooting was believed to be accidental and that they did not suspect foul play. An autopsy concluded Manny died from a single gunshot wound.
As the investigation widened, it became less about a single trigger pull and more about how many weapons were present, how they were stored, and who was responsible for keeping them safe. Hawaiʻi Island police reported recovering 18 firearms and various ammunition from the scene. Detectives initiated 23 firearm-related offenses—among them an allegation of criminally negligent storage of a firearm—against three adult men identified as registered owners of multiple firearms at the range that day. The specific gun that discharged was reported to be owned by the father of the minor who handled it. Police stated no criminal charges were filed against the minor.
Questions about accountability ran into institutional complications. In October 2022, reporting indicated the Hawaiʻi County Prosecutor's Office declared a conflict of interest because staff and family members had been at the rifle range that day and were considered witnesses, pushing the matter toward the state Attorney General's office to decide who would handle any review. Public reporting from that period also noted that police had referred multiple firearms-related offenses for review, while a legal analyst cited in coverage expressed skepticism that criminal charges would result.
Manny's family sought answers in court as well as in the investigative process. In January 2023, his parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America and related scouting entities, describing a “Family Fun Day” atmosphere that included firearms and alleging failures of supervision and safety practices. The suit's narrative emphasized that Manny was shot while seated, and that an AK-47-style rifle was involved. The defendants denied negligence and asked the court to dismiss the claims, but later reporting indicated the civil case was ultimately settled, with terms kept confidential.
