Fallen Maui police officer added to county law enforcement memorial

WAILUKU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Another name has been added to the memorial of Maui County law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty.

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Maui police officer Suzanne O is the 8th name on the memorial.

“Our fallen heroes chose this profession. They chose to do this, and they served our community with the ultimate act of love and devotion,” said Maui Police Chief John Pelletier.

The 37-year-old was fatally shot while responding to a call for help in Paia last year.

“She used her own body to shield her fellow officers,” Pelletier said.

The ceremony comes just a week after she was honored at the nation’s capital.

She is one of 363 officers who died in the line of duty in the U.S. last year.

Her name is now etched in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., along with nearly 25,000 other officers who have been killed on the job throughout U.S. history.

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Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged her sacrifice.

“Suzanne was a devoted public servant, a woman who had known danger before. Two years before her death, she had been awarded the certificate of merit for her tireless efforts during the 2023 Hawaii wildfires,” Vance said.

Her loved ones, along with the seven other Maui law enforcement officers’ family and friends, lit candles and placed roses by their photos.

“While we mourn, we do not leave here defeated. We leave here united, we leave here stronger, and we leave here determined to carry forward the values our fallen heroes embodied,” said Maui Police Department Assistant Chief Joy Medeiros. “Their watch has ended, but ours continue.”

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