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An Altoona, Pennsylvania, area man was being investigated Monday in connection with the killing of a UnitedHealthcare CEO in Manhattan last week, in part because he possessed a gun similar to the one used in the shooting. two people familiar with the matter told NBC. news.
Officials say it is too early to tell whether his case is related to Brian Thompson’s death, but they are investigating the possibility of significant developments. Officials said customers at a local McDonald’s became suspicious of him and called police. Arriving officers noticed the fake identification and took him in for questioning.
When officers arrived at the police station, they found the man in possession of a gun similar to the one used to kill Thompson, a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID, officials said. The suspect allegedly used a fake New Jersey ID when he checked into a hostel in Manhattan last month. He may have taken a bus to leave New York.
Investigators are looking into whether the man being questioned recently got off the bus from Philadelphia, officials said. NYPD detectives are on the scene to question a man who looks similar to the suspect.
The incident comes as Thompson, who was shot at close range on his way to a midtown hotel last Wednesday to attend an investor meeting, was being held for a private funeral on Monday, officials said. schedule.
Five days after the gunman was caught on surveillance cameras across Manhattan, the gunman remains at large. America’s largest police force is pursuing him, along with the FBI. Despite obtaining a clear image of his face, among other evidence, authorities have yet to identify him.
Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspected gunman, believed to have been taken from a camera installed inside a taxi. The first shows him outside the car, and the second shows him peering through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both photos, his face is partially obscured by a blue medical mask.
The new photos were released after authorities recovered a gray bag believed to belong to the suspect in Central Park. The bag was removed unopened for forensic processing before investigators could examine its contents. Officials later said the bag contained a jacket and Monopoly money, but no gun. DNA testing is ongoing.
Police used surveillance video to track the gunman and said he appears to have left the city by bus shortly after the shooting outside the Hilton Midtown in New York on Wednesday morning. . He was seen on video about 45 minutes later at an uptown bus stop, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney said.
As the high-profile investigation expands across state lines, the FBI late Friday offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding to the maximum $10,000 reward offered by the NYPD. Announced in addition to gold. Police say they believe the suspect committed the crime alone.
Hundreds of detectives combed through video recordings and social media, scoured tips from the public, including Thompson’s family, co-workers and randomly assigned roommates at the Manhattan hostel where the shooter was staying. , are questioning people who may have information.
track down the murderer
Surveillance cameras in nearly every building and block allowed police to track the gunman’s movements.
At 6:44 a.m., they ambushed Mr. Thompson as he arrived at the Hilton for the company’s annual investor meeting, using a 9mm handgun similar to those used by farmers to silently kill animals. I know what I did. They learned that ammunition found near Thompson’s body had been engraved with the words “delay,” “reject,” and “discard,” mimicking phrases used by insurance industry critics. are.
Mr. Kenney said the fact that the gunman knew that United Healthcare Group was holding a meeting at the hotel and what route Mr. Thompson would take to get there meant that he He said this suggests it could be a disgruntled employee or customer.
Investigators learned from surveillance footage that the suspect fled on a bicycle into Central Park and abandoned it near 85th Street around 7 a.m.
He then walked a few blocks, took a taxi, and arrived at the George Washington Bridge Bus Station at 7:30 a.m. This bus station is located near the northern tip of Manhattan and provides commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington. .
Investigators don’t know what happened next. They are examining more surveillance video, but have yet to find any footage of the gunman boarding the bus or leaving the station.
Police determined from the video that the gunman had been in the city for 10 days before the shooting. He arrived at Manhattan’s main bus terminal on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, but it’s unclear whether he boarded from there or at one of about six stops along the route.
Shortly after, he took a taxi to a nearby Hilton and stayed there for about 30 minutes, Kenney said.
Around 11pm the night he arrived, he took a taxi to the HI New York City hostel. While talking to employees in the lobby, he briefly removed his mask and smiled, briefly showing investigators he was counting on them to identify and arrest the killer.
NYPD detectives traveled to Atlanta to coordinate efforts on the ground.
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