Witnesses say a lot of things, and this type of holster could be mistaken for a gun rug - something Scott certainly was NOT carrying.
In another article, it mentioned that a witness was shown a picture of Scott’s gun on the ground outside the Costco, so I don’t think that is Scott’s “alleged” gun. I’m pretty sure it is Scott’s gun lying on the ground outside of Costco, and the description I read elsewhere of it being an “Uncle Mike’s” holster fits.
I think the police screwed this up big time, but I don’t think they hid and then threw away the gun Scott really pulled and substituted another gun.