Divers searching the Harlem River recovered a gun “consistent” with the weapon that was used to kill a police officer during a foot chase in Harlem on Tuesday, the New York Police Department said on Sunday.
Chief of New York City detectives William Aubry said the weapon was found at around 3am on Sunday. The gun would be tested for fingerprints and DNA, he said, as well as test fired, to determine whether it was the same gun that was used to shoot Officer Randolph Holder in the head.
“That firearm is consistent with the firearm that we were looking for,” Aubry said.
Police also shut down part of a major roadway in the area of the shooting for a few hours on Sunday morning, as they conducted a ground search.
Holder and his partner had responded to a report of shots fired near a public housing development in East Harlem on Tuesday night. When they arrived, a man said his bike had been stolen at gunpoint and the thief fled.
The officers caught up to a man with a bike on a pedestrian overpass that spans a highway and traded gunfire, police said. After Holder was shot, the gunman ditched the bike and took off, police said. He was caught several blocks away with a gunshot wound to his leg, New York police commissioner Bill Bratton said.
Shell cases from the test firing would be compared with discharged cases police recovered on 120th Street next to Holder’s body – in addition to the cases at 102nd Street where the first shots were fired, Aubry said.
The chief of detectives also said the searches had been a “24/7 operation” since the night of the shooting.
He said the scuba team’s work was “very difficult.” The gun was under 20ft of water and “they’re on their belly and they’re searching for it by hand”, he said.
Tyrone Howard has been charged with murder and robbery in Holder’s death. His lawyer has said there are many missing details in the case.
Holder’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday.
Tyrone Howard has been charged with murder and robbery in Holder’s death. His lawyer has said there are many missing details in the case.
Holder’s funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28th, 2015.
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