What’s with this?: The meaning behind being a ‘person of interest’

The term "person of interest" gets used frequently in police reports, but what does that mean?

"A person of interest is somebody that we've associated with a crime," said Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Larry Hadfield. "However, we've not identified them as, quote, unquote, 'the suspect.' Can that person of interest become the suspect? Absolutely. Can that person of interest be exonerated for all crimes? Absolutely."

Through the investigation, witnesses or other evidence may say that a person was at the scene of the crime. As a person of interest, they may have information that will lead to a suspect, or the person of interest might become the suspect, may not have actually been there, or was there but has no additional information to contribute.