Hunt for US murder suspect mistakenly released from jail
- Published
Christopher Buggs was awaiting trial in Rikers Island prison
US police are looking for a murder suspect who was released from prison in New York by mistake on Monday.
Christopher Buggs, 26, was awaiting trial in Rikers Island prison over a 2018 shooting when a clerical error led him to walk free.
The Joint Fugitive Task Force are attempting to track him down.
Authorities have issued a photograph of the suspect, but warned the public not to approach him.
"We are aware of this incident and a full investigation into how this happened is under way," Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Peter Thorne said in a statement, quoted by CBS News, external.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the error happened because Buggs was sentenced to 30 days in prison in another case which was then confused with the murder trial, leading staff to release him.
"We're going to put additional safeguards in place to make sure this never happens again. It's very frustrating," Mr de Blasio said on Wednesday.
Authorities are confident they will find Buggs shortly, he added.
The suspect was charged with murder over the shooting of a man in Brooklyn, New York, in 2018.
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