Police: Gun used in officer's death found

A five-day scuba search has led to the recovery of the gun police believe was used in the shooting death of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder. Divers from the NYPD's elite scuba unit found the gun underwater

News 12 Staff

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Oct 27, 2015, 12:25 AM

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Updated 3,279 days ago

A five-day scuba search has led to the recovery of the gun police believe was used in the shooting death of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder.

Divers from the NYPD's elite scuba unit found the gun underwater at around 3 a.m. Sunday, according to officials.

The NYPD harbor unit is made up of about 160 people -- 30 of them highly trained divers, officials say. The unit searched about 67,000 square feet of riverbed before finding the gun.

The weapon will undergo testing to confirm whether it is the same gun used in the slaying.

Detectives say they will be testing it for fingerprints and DNA.

This discovery comes five days after Holder's death. Police say he and his partner responded to a report of shots fired and found a man who said his bike had been stolen at gunpoint.

The officers approached the suspect, Tyrone Howard, who investigators say opened fire and hit Holder in the head.

Howard has been charged with murder and robbery.

Precincts all across the city will honor Holder with a prayer vigil at 7 p.m.