A manhunt is under way for an “armed and dangerous” murder suspect after a woman in her 40s died having been found seriously injured in a street.
Paul Antony Butler, 53, is wanted over the death of the woman, who died in hospital during the early hours of Thursday after being attacked the night before in Plymouth.
The victim and suspect are believed to have been known to each other.
Detective Inspector Rob Smith said: “At this time the suspect remains at large and a major response is under way.
“We have taken the steps of releasing an image of a man we need to identify in connection to the murder investigation.
“We believe that this man could be armed and dangerous, so we are telling the public not to approach him in any circumstances and immediately call 999 if you have seen this man.”
He is described as being a white male, around 6ft 5in tall with brown/grey hair and blue eyes.
There was ‘a large police presence in the area’ after the incident in Plymouth – Wayne Perry
A shop worker said she heard “screams” and people asking for an ambulance to be called at the time of the incident on Wednesday evening.
David Badham, who runs the Central Convenience shop on the street, said: “I had a member of staff working and she said she heard screams.
“She obviously then popped her head out of the door to see what was going on, to hear people saying: ‘Call an ambulance’.”
A member of a forensics team at the scene of the assault in West Hoe, Plymouth – Wayne Perry
Det Ch Insp Dave Pebworth said: “We have a large police presence in the area and enquiries are ongoing to locate and arrest the suspect.
“We believe this is an isolated incident and there is no immediate threat to the wider public.
“We would ask members of the public to please stay away from the West Hoe area of the city while we continue our investigation.”
Anyone with information has been asked to come forward.
