It was believed that NYPD cop Vincent Ling died as a result of gunshot wounds back in 1999. However, on Monday (Mar. 19), it was discovered that he’s alive and well, after cops tracked down his supposed killer.
Per the New York Daily News, Lester Pearson, Ling’s killer, was arrested at his home in Jacksonville, Fla. A wanted man in several states, authorities reported that Ling’s killer was in custody.
After NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill tweeted that they caught Ling’s killer in Florida, they later had to take back their report, as they discovered Ling didn’t die as a result of his injuries. They said that a “misread” of the attempted murder warrant “led to confusion.”
“Ling was off duty when he was shot. Because he worked undercover, his name was not released at the time of the incident,” the Daily News writes. “News reports of the time say he spent at least a month in the hospital, and was partly paralyzed by a bullet lodged in his spine.”
Reports say that Ling is now 47 years old, and records indicate that he lives in The Bronx. He could not be reached for comment, and the NYPD did not answer questions regarding how they discovered he was alive.
“Pearson had been living in Jacksonville under the name Michael Davis with his girlfriend and several children. He performed as a rapper named Monsta Kodi and has more than 100,000 Instagram followers,” the Daily News says of Ling’s alleged killer. They lived in the same neighborhood and had beef; Pearson once dated Ling’s sister.