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With that, Conklin took off with Officers Casey and Baskin to canvass the immediate area

I said hello to Bettina Strauss She looked to be forty, had piercings, and had tattoos on her neck and hands She wore an old leather jacket over deni red chiffon scarf around her neck Her face was red and swollen fro

“That’s Laura Russell,” she said of the victim “She was the sweetest person She wasn’t hard-core horade, I think Got laid off last year, as I reuzzling from a bottle, then went on

“She had a fa she ran off, but I didn’t push her, you understand We all have stories”

I asked Strauss a slew of questions: Had she seen the shooting? Did she knoho the shooter was or if there had been an incident before the shooting that had set the gunman off? Did she know anyone anted to hurt Laura?

She toldhappened

“Laura and I were going to o over to Pier 39,” Strauss choked out between sobs, “but when I got here, oh, round I shook her I pressed on her chest”

She showedfrom her eyes, and she covered her face with the crook of her arm

I told Strauss that I was sorry, but still, I asked once more, “Do you have any idea who may have wanted to hurt Laura?”

“God, no But so people, Officer Laura and I were both scared”

“Bettina, if I want to show you pictures or ask you ain?”

She said, “I’ht now”

I thanked her just as Conklin cah a few trash cans around the corner We didn’t find the gun, but we’ve got this”

He held up a ray wool, with an intact lining

“It’s not new, but I’d still call this a ‘nice’ coat,” said Conklin “Knit gloves are in the pockets”