The body of a Japanese man was found floating in the Hudson River last week and may have been shot in the head, according to the New York City Police Department and Consulate General of Japan in New York.
Yoshiaki Onoue, 53, was found floating in the water with a head wound near a riverfront park in the city's West Village at around 7 p.m. on Aug. 21. He was pulled from the water by the NYPD and declared dead by paramedics.
According to the NYPD, the city's medical examiner initially thought the head injury was a gunshot wound, but that determination is now under review.
The NYPD initially classified the incident as a homicide on Saturday and offered a $2,000 reward for information. But now they are awaiting the final determination by the medical examiner before officially considering the death a murder.
According to the consulate general, Onoue had lived in New York for over 10 years. An acquaintance told Kyodo News that Onoue was a chef at a Japanese restaurant in the city.