What’s with this person of interest terminology in recent years? Is that a politically correct way of saying suspect? What’s wrong with calling someone a suspect in a criminal case???
Saying someone is a “person of interest” is “less judgemental.”
A person of interest is not necessarily a suspect. For example, the police may believe that he has information pertaining to an investigation.
The first time I heard the term "person of interest" was immediately after the Nicole Brown Simpson/Ron Goldman murders. The police wanted to question O.J., but at the time the news was saying he was not a suspect.