Ballistics tests tie gun found in East River to shooting death of NYPD Officer Randolph Holder

EAST HARLEM, N.Y. (WABC) -- The 40-caliber handgun found in the Harlem River early Sunday morning has been matched through ballistics as the gun that killed NYPD Officer Randolph Holder.

The gun had been missing since Officer Holder was shot and killed last Tuesday evening in East Harlem.

A nearby fisherman heard a splash at the time of the shooting, and that was believed to be the gun hitting the water, triggering police to send dive teams in the water for what would be a multi-day search.

Detectives said they believe the suspect, Tyrone Howard, threw that gun into the river after the shooting. He was arrested a short time later.

Finding the gun wasn't an easy task for the NYPD's elite scuba team, which beat the odds in locating it in the swirling, murky waters of the river. Divers worked around the clock in some of the swiftest currents anywhere in New York.

Detective John Mortimer was one of the two divers, who was groping with a waterproof flashlight at 3 a.m. Sunday.

"Pretty much on my stomach, my hand," Mortimer said.

The divers found other items at the bottom of the river that may help with the investigation, including a spent round in the area where the gun was found.

"I just said, 'hey, great!' I just felt elated," Mortimer said.

The gun will now be presented as evidence to the grand jury hearing evidence in the case against Howard. The grand jury is expected to act as soon as Tuesday.