LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4) – Hundreds of tips have poured in to the task force investigating a series of frightening random shootings in northern Colorado since they released a sketch of a vehicle of interest in one of the cases earlier this week.

At least one of those tips prompted investigators with the task force to close a park in Loveland on Thursday and perform an extensive search for evidence, according to a spokesperson for the group.

The search at Allendale Park, a small park at East 18th Street and Chelsea Drive in a neighborhood near Boyd Lake, lasted 12 hours and the evidence recovery team included people wearing FBI shirts. The group hasn’t said exactly what they were looking for.

Authorities used ropes and stakes to turn the park into a grid and then tackled each roped off area with painstaking care. Some task force members used metal detectors and others sifted through the grass on their hands and knees, some wearing plastic gloves.

Allendale is a few blocks away from the intersection where a person says he or she was shot at on the night of June 3. That was the same night William Cannole was shot and killed in Loveland.

“We shouldn’t have to see the FBI in a neighborhood park close to where you live,” said Elanah Gubernick, who lives near Allendale Park. “It’s just scary to think about.

The task force is still investigating whether Cannole’s murder and the other shooting incident nearby are connected to the shooting of two other people in northern Colorado in April and May.

During the hot day, residents Tina Smith and and her son Blake provided bottles of water to the search team as a gesture of gratitude.

“I’ve never seen the FBI where I live before, so I thought this was different,” Blake said.

Tina was among the neighbors who felt the police presence in the neighborhood was almost a comfort during what has been an uneasy time.

“It was scary. You think differently now,” she said.

Tina said she’s hoping an arrest in the cases comes soon.

“It’s time to be done. It needs to be safe again,” she said.

It was determined that the shootings in April and May are connected. On April 22, Cori Romero, 21, was driving on Interstate 25 when she was shot in the neck. She survived. On May 8, John Jacoby, 48, was found dead May 18 along a rural road in Windsor.

Additional Information from the Task Force:

Authorities would like anyone with any information to call the Task Force Tip Line at 970.498.5595 or via email. If you see this vehicle moving and/or occupied, please immediately call 911 so local law enforcement can respond and follow all the directions of the emergency dispatcher. If you can do so safely, please gather as much information about the vehicle to include license plate state and number, distinguishing characteristics of the vehicle, description of the occupant(s), and/or a photograph.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for any of these crimes.