US media reports have said that police officials are now questioning a “person of interest” in Pennsylvania in association with the New York City murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO.
According to the BBC’s US news partner CBS News, the man was apprehended in Altoona, about 280 miles (450km) west of New York City, but it is unconfirmed whether this person is the suspect in the killing of Thompson, who was shot dead on a busy New York City street.
This apprehended person was found with a gun similar to the one used in the targeted killing, and he had matched the physical description of a person of interest being sought by police. The suspect also carried multiple fake IDs, and was taken into custody because of a separate incident, according to CBS.
Two law enforcement sources had told CBS that a patron of a McDonalds called police after they saw the man who looked like the suspect being sought after in Thompson’s murder.
At this time, police are just holding the individual on an illegal gun charge while they work to confirm if he is the suspected gunman or not, the law enforcement sources said.
They also added that the authorities are attempting to connect him through DNA evidence, a recovered laptop computer and all other evidence that they have gathered.
If the individual turns out to be the New York shooting suspect, he is unlikely to be promptly returned to the state until a formal extradition proceeding is carried out.
CCTV footage have shown that the gunman attached a suppressor to the weapon he used to gun down the health insurance, CEO.
Thompson, aged 50, was fatally shot in the back on Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan last week. His Minnesota company was holding an investors meeting in the hotel the deceased was headed.
Police have said that Thompson was targeted in a pre-planned killing.
Prior to his death, Thompson had led one of the US’s largest health insurance firms, UnitedHealthCare, which has been criticised for how often it denies its customers’ claims.
Investigators used surveillance photos, bullet casings with mysterious messages written on them, and the suspect’s movements to track him. They have also partnered with the FBI and authorities in other states.
There have been previous reports that the suspect left New York City by bus, and following this, police had been dispatched to Georgia to look for the man spotted on surveillance video.
After shooting Thompson the suspect immediately fled into Central Park, before taking a cab to a nearby bus station, the authorities added.
The New York Police Department scoured Central Park over the weekend and found a backpack they believe belonged to the suspect and inside it, a jacket and Monopoly money was found.
The FBI had on Friday, offered a $50,000 (£39,200) reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
