Yesterday police said they had now identified a person of interest and would question him.
However, over the weekend, people took to social media to complain about how long it took for police to apprehend the perpetrator, with some threatening to take the law into their own hands.
A parent warned other Mosgiel parents on social media about the man acting suspiciously in Memorial Park, on Hartstonge A.
She said her 12-year-old daughter and a friend were at the park in mid-April and saw the man “being sleazy” and “following kids and making videos.”
She also alleged that the man “tried to get one of the Syrian children into his car” and when her daughter and her boyfriend intervened to stop him, he allegedly shot a gun at them.
The incident was reported to police on April 14, but several other people on the social media website said they also witnessed the incident and believed it was not a one-off.
They shared concerns that the man was still visiting the park to film children, and that police seemed to be doing nothing about it.
“I'm going to Mosgiel Park today. Hopefully I'll see him,” said one.
Another said: “Maybe it's time we had community meetings in the park then,” while others said: “I'm going to figure it out” and “practice.”
One person said they hoped police would do something “before the public does.”
Dunedin Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said he understood reports like this could cause concern and urged the community to be alert but not alarmed.
“The complaint we received on April 14 is that he lifted up his T-shirt and it appeared he had a firearm in his waistband, but we cannot confirm that.
“If you look at the record, there is no complaint about trying to get a child into a car, and also no complaint about a man photographing children.”
He said witnesses who came forward were unable to provide a license plate number of the car involved, making it difficult to trace the man.
However, police had now identified a person of interest.
He called on the public to let the police do their job.
'At least it gives us a chance to talk to people and understand what happened, rather than people taking matters into their own hands.
'They don't have all the facts.
'There may be underlying factors, such as mental health.
'As with any crime, you should report it to the police, rather than commenting on social media.
“It will help us get a picture of what happened and support our investigation.”