Less than 24 hours after sounding national alarm bells that a 22-year-old Miami native with ties to the sex trade might be in danger over her connection to the fiery murder of a rapper on the Las Vegas Strip, police have called off the hunt this morning.
Tineesha Lashun Howard is no longer considered a "person of interest" in the case, police say. But Ammar Harris, the alleged gunman she was seen with the night of the murder, is still the target of a national manhunt.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department tells the AP this morning that Howard is no longer being sought by police, but doesn't elaborate on why. (Riptide left a message with the department's spokesman; we'll update this post when we hear back.)
Yesterday, Vegas police released a slew of photos of Howard, who is Cuban-American and also went by the name Yenesis Alfonzo; she was considered missing and endangered by police because of her ties to the shooting death of Kenneth Cherry last week.
Cherry, who rapped under the name Kenny Clutch, was driving a Maserati on the Strip when someone in a black Range Rover blasted his car. The luxury ride eventually slammed into a taxi cab and exploded, killing the cab driver and a passenger, along with Cherry.
Police believe Cherry got into an argument moments before with Ammar Harris, the suspected gunman. Howard was believed to be in the SUV with Harris, who is a "known associate," during the shooting.
Howard, who has multiple arrests in Vegas for prostitution and other crimes, is apparently in the clear and safe today. But Harris is still on the loose.
Harris has a long, multistate record with arrests for robbery, sexual assault, and kidnapping -- many related to a Vegas prostitution bust in 2010 -- and his online posts suggest he worked as a pimp.
Vegas police released this video of Harris waving around $100 bills in his bathroom:
Anyone who knows where Harris is hanging out can call the Vegas cops at 702-828-3521.
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