UPDATE: Suspects In Deadly San Mateo Execution-Style Shooting Arrested In North Carolina, Hawaii
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) – San Mateo Police detectives made arrests on opposite ends of the country Monday in connection with an execution-style shooting that killed a man and wounded his 2-year-old son in 2020.
With the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies, detectives who traveled to North Carolina arrested 29-year-old John "Talia" Paasi outside his home in Charlotte without incident Monday morning.
Also on Monday, San Mateo detectives who traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, along with local and federal authorities, arrested 30-year-old Isileli Mahe at his residence. Mahe was taken into custody without incident.
Both suspects were taken to local jails on murder and assault with a firearm charges and are awaiting extradition back to San Mateo County, police said.
On October 30, 2020, at approximately 9:40 a.m., San Mateo Police officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of Eleanor Drive on the report of a shooting.
Officers arrived on scene and discovered Ueta Savelio Muasika Jr. shot several times after being ambushed in the driveway of his residence.
The brazen attack also left Muasika's 2-year-old son suffering from a gunshot wound to his face. Officers rendered aid to the child, and paramedics transported him to a local trauma center. The child has since recovered from his injuries. Muasika succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on scene.
Over the last eighteen months, in an effort to bring all responsible parties to justice, SMPD detectives conducted a methodical investigation that extended to multiple states across the country.
The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with additional information was asked to contact Detective Sergeant Paul Pak at (650) 522-7660 or pak@cityofsanmateo.org. Anonymous tips can be submitted to http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling (650) 522-7676.
