Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 5, 2025, the Leone Police Substation (LPS) received a call regarding a man who allegedly opened fire on a group of kids during curfew time.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Unlawful Use of Arms, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both imprisonment and fine;

Count 2: Public Peace Disturbance, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both; and,

Count 3: Unlawful Discharge of Arms, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $3,000.

Court records indicated that on Oct 5th, at about 12:00 a.m., an individual contacted the LPS to report a man, later identified as the suspect, who discharged a gun in front of the public highway in Malaeloa.

Police officers were dispatched to the call and, upon arrival, met with a man who introduced himself as Faitauafe Atanoa (the suspect).

Atanoa stated that nothing happened and that all he did was chase off a group of kids who were hanging out at the side of the road.

Authorities met up with a witness who introduced himself and told the officers what he saw happen. According to the witness, he was on watch for their village’s curfew and he went and sat on top of a hill, smoked his cigarette, and about 30 minutes after the curfew bell rang, he heard someone yelling profanities.

The witness stated that he heard someone yelling in Samoan and using profanities, saying, “You all keep breaking the curfew!”

Atanoa then discharged the gun, and he (witness/ victim) hurriedly went and looked, and saw the kids running away and yelling. Two of the kids ran straight to the back, where he lives, and the other five kids were still on the road. He yelled at the suspect and told him off, but the suspect aimed the gun at him and discharged it in his direction — it [the shot] hit the rooftop of his house. The victim claimed that he felt the debris from the bullets bouncing off his body when the bullet hit the rooftop.

The witness/ victim confirmed the suspect’s identity as the individual who was being interviewed and detained. A strong odor of alcohol was detected from the suspect. After placing the handcuffs on the suspect, they found a 12-gauge shotgun shell in his right pocket.

Atanoa was transported to the station while the officers proceeded to the suspect’s house to locate the weapon. Authorities later observed the gun on the side of the house and confiscated it.

While the officers were recovering the weapon, they met up with another witness who stated that he was in his room when he heard a loud bang. He ran outside and saw kids scurrying off the road, and he thought the kids were playing with bamboo cannons. However, he later saw two police units arrive. He also mentioned that his room had air conditioning, so his windows were always closed, but he heard the loud bang, which alerted him.

Atanoa was Mirandized, to which he acknowledged and agreed to provide a verbal statement.

According to the suspect, he claimed that he was on watch for his village’s curfew when he saw a group of kids in front of the road. He stated that he got mad because the kids were constantly breaking the curfew rules.

As a result, he went and grabbed his shotgun and fired two shots in the air to scare the kids off. The suspect also admitted that he had consumed a six-pack of beer, and he knew he was wrong for firing the gun — he could have done something else.

The suspect was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 60-year-old U.S national.