Oswald does fit that basic description.
~Grin~
What were the police supposed to do in your fantasy world? They get a report of a suspicious person in the area of the crime. He matches the general description of the suspect.
A man in a brown shirt does not fit the description of a suspect in a white shirt, lol
Again, what should the police have done? Said to themselves: This couldn't be the guy even though he meets the physical description,
No, they should have said to themselves: This doesn't sound like the guy as the description doesn't match, but heck, let's send a squadron of officers to turn the place upside down as it could be Shamus 'Ten Shirts' McGready and his gang