Remains of sailor killed at Pearl Harbor returning home ADVERTISING Remains of sailor killed at Pearl Harbor returning home CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Nearly 75 years after sailor Edwin Hopkins died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, his remains are
Remains of sailor killed at Pearl Harbor returning home
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Nearly 75 years after sailor Edwin Hopkins died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, his remains are returning home to New Hampshire.
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Hopkins was one of 429 men who died when the ship they were on, the USS Oklahoma, sank after being hit by torpedoes Dec. 7, 1941. Thirty-two men were rescued, but 14 Marines and 415 sailors were killed. Many of them, including Hopkins, were buried as “unknowns” in a Hawaii cemetery.
The 19-year-old from Swanzey, N.H., was tentatively identified through dental records a few years later. But it took until 2015 before a DNA match with a distant cousin provided a positive ID.
Hopkins’ remains will arrive today on a commercial plane in Boston and be transported to Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene, which is named in his honor. A visitation is slated Friday night at the airport, followed by a burial Saturday at Woodland Cemetery in Keene next to his parents, Frank Hopkins Sr. and Alice Hopkins.
Hopkin’s casket will pass through the center of Keene on Saturday on the way to the cemetery and under an arch created by the city’s fire trucks.
Officials investigate fatal fall at Hawaii shopping mall
HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities are investigating the collapse of a metal railing at Honolulu’s Ala Moana Center that led to the death of a 21-year-old man and left another critically injured.
Nicholas Freitas of Honolulu died after falling down several floors Sunday, and the other 21-year-old man remains in critical condition. Police said both victims had been leaning on the railing when it gave way.
The city Department of Permitting and Planning and the police department are investigating the incident.
Ala Moana Center General Manager Francis Cofran said the center is cooperating with both investigations and working to get an assessment of all railings on the property.
“Based on the findings, we will make any necessary improvements to ensure a safe environment for everyone that visits Ala Moana Center,” Cofran said in a Tuesday statement. “The safety and welfare of our customers and employees is a matter that we take very seriously and always address as a priority.”
Cofran expressed condolences “to the families and all those affected by this tragic event.”
The railing that collapsed Sunday was in an older section of the state’s largest shopping center, which recently completed a 650,000-square-foot expansion of its Ewa Wing. The center has more than 340 stores and restaurants.
Stabbing leaves boy dead, woman critically injured
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu police have arrested a suspect in connection with an apartment stabbing that left a 5-year-old boy dead and a 29-year-old woman in critical condition.
Waiser Walter was arrested after the Monday stabbing for investigation of murder and attempted murder.
Police had responded to the apartment to a report of an argument before later receiving a call about the stabbing.
Police say they arrived to find the suspect armed and were able to get him to surrender his weapon.
The boy was found with multiple stab wounds to the chest. An Emergency Medical Services report says the child suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The female victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Family members identified the victims as Jeremiah Roke and his aunt, Jenni Roke. They said the 26-year-old suspect was Jenni Roke’s brother and that he lived with the victims in the apartment.
