person of interest

日本ではコーヒー飲料の名前になっているMt. Rainierの国立公園でpark rangerが射殺されました。24歳の男性がa strong person of interestと考えられています。この表現の意味は？ "We do have a very hot and dangerous situation2.という表現とともにb.m.さん、解説をお願いします。（ゼミ生 Lbow-Shoulder）
About 150 officers converged on the mountain park after ranger Margaret Anderson was shot to death Sunday morning, and searchers used an aircraft with heat-sensing capabilities to hunt from the skies. Authorities believe the gunman was still in the woods, with weapons.
Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said that Benjamin Colton Barnes, a 24-year-old believed to have survivalist skills, was a "strong person of interest" in the slaying. "We do have a very hot and dangerous situation," Troyer said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-01/mount-rainier-shooting/52320026/1