The suspect, 25 year old Sunia Lino of Siumu, has been charged with murder and possession of a dangerous weapon after shooting his uncle in the head with a rifle infront of family members.
The tragic incident occurred last Thursday night in Siumu. According to sources, Sunia and his brother were walking home after drinking at Maninoa.
They played loud music on a bluetooth speaker as they walked home.
As they passed their grandmother’s house, their 37-year-old uncle, their mom’s brother, Iakopo Seinafo, called out to them about the noise. In response and still under the influence of alcohol, Sunia allegedly cursed at his uncle. “Sa ia palauvale iai..”
Following the verbal altercation, Iakopo contacted his brother, who lives inland in the same area of family homes as the two young men. He reported what the pair had done.
Upon arriving home, Sunia and his brother both got a hiding from their uncle who lives with them, for disrespecting Iakopo.
Angered by the punishment, Sunia is said to have retrieved a firearm, a rifle kept in the family home for the plantation and farm. “O le pulu kasi le faga..”
He is said to have taken two bullets from a village elder, telling him he needed them for shooting pigs in the morning.
The young man returned to Iakopo Seinafo’s home, and shot him in the head while he was sitting on a chair in the corner of his open fale.
The accused is said to have then also approached his uncle who gave him a beating. However, family members screamed out to warn the second uncle.
Acting Police Commissioner Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga confirmed that the suspect has been remanded in custody.
It is unclear from Police reports if they had tested the blood alcohol level of the accused, or if they had carried out a drug test of the young man.
Instead, the ministry emphasized in a press release that a firearm license is not a license to take a life, warning about the misuse of weapons.
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