New York assassination: Police bring in man with ‘similar gun’ to killer

It is not confirmed if the person, who is from Pennsylvania, is the suspect.

The unidentified man also was found with a silencer and a fake New Jersey ID.

The individual was carrying a similar gun used in the shooting of the UnitedHealthCare CEO

Wikimedia Commons/Reuters

He was approached by officers after customers at a McDonald’s restaurant flagged his ‘suspicious’ behaviour to the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Officers from New York are on their way to Altoona, Pennsylvania, where the individual is being questioned, CBS reports.

Sources told NBC News that it is “too soon” to determine whether the man is connected to last week’s murder, however, officers believe it could be a “potentially significant development”.

Last week, the NYPD released pictures of a “person of interest” in connection with the murder. In the CCTV images, the potential assassin can be seen grinning after the “premeditated attack”.

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Police in New York City released two new images of a ‘person of interest’ in the case last week

X/NYPD

It is not known if the man being questioned in Altoona is the same person who has appeared in the surveillance footage.

Thompson was gunned down in what police described as a “brazen, targeted attack” outside the New York Hilton Midtown on December 4.

Detectives found the words “deny”, “defend” and “depose” etched onto shell casings recovered from the scene, potentially offering clues about the killer’s motives.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the attack was “premeditated”, though the motive remains unknown.

The shooting occurred at approximately 6.46am on December 4 near the New York Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue.

After being shot multiple times, Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspect, offering a £50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

The “grinning assassin”, whose images were shared by the NYP last week, fled the scene on foot before riding an electric bike into Central Park.

Officers are understood to be using facial recognition technology to track the suspect down – though are still yet to establish a motive.