Police were looking for a man who fatally stabbed an 18-year-old man through the heart early yesterday after a fight near the front gate of Kuhio Park Terrace in Kalihi.

The city medical examiner's office identified the victim as Fugitogamala Savea of Kalihi.

Police said Savea was standing with friends in front of a mini-mart at the corner of Linapuni and North School streets when he was approached just after midnight by a man in his 20s.

The two men began to argue, and the man in his 20s stabbed Savea once in the chest with a knife, police said.

Savea did not know the man, police said. The attacker was described as having shoulder-length hair. He was wearing a baseball cap, white T-shirt and black shorts, police said.

Savea was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition and was pronounced dead at 1:16 a.m. yesterday. Savea died of "injury to the heart due to stab wound of the chest," according to the medical examiner.

"That's a tragedy and it's a shame to hear it," said police Maj. Kurt B. Kendro, head of HPD's District 5 operations. "KPT gets such a bad rap and there are so many good things going on over there. They're making strides."

Yesterday's fatal stabbing was the fourth in Kalihi this year.

Before yesterday, the most recent fatal stabbing was on Oct. 28 and stemmed from a dispute between a husband and wife. Erlinda Adviento, 44, was found fatally stabbed in her Kahaha Street home. Her husband, Melchor Adviento, was charged with second-degree murder.

On Oct. 9, Chong Suk Waraska, 41, was stabbed to death outside a Kaumuali'i Street apartment building. The suspect, Alex Longboy, died in a single-truck crash 40 minutes later, and police classified the case as a murder-suicide.

On June 13 Liwliwa Barayuga, 63, was found stabbed to death in her 'Akina Street home. Her husband, Victorio Barayuga, was charged with second-degree murder.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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