Cops hunting the murderer of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson have questioned a Pennsylvania man who has the same type of gun as the shooter.
The unidentified man, from Altoona, is currently being grilled ‘in part’ because he was found with a gun similar to the Brugger & Thomet VP9 used in the shooting.
That revelation, broken by NBC New York, suggests police may have other reasons for questioning the man, but that they have yet to disclose them.
Sources told NBC News that it is ‘too soon’ to determine whether the man is connected to Thompson’s murder, but that police believe it may be a ‘potentially significant development.’
NYPD detectives are now traveling to Altoona to question him as well.
Thompson, a 50 year-old father of two, was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan December 4 ahead of his employer’s annual investor meeting.
He was filmed walking down a sidewalk at 6:44am before his killer stepped out of the shadows and fired three bullets into him.
The shells were later found to have the words ‘Deny,’ ‘Defend’ and ‘Depose’ written on them in black Sharpie ink.
That sparked speculation that he may have been targeted by a disgruntled man upset by the treatment he or his loved ones received at the hands of United Healthcare.
Brian Thompson’s murderer is pictured in a surveillance grab shared by the NYPD last week
A person of interest is being questioned by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, because he owns a gun similar to the Brugger & Thomet VP9 used in the slaying (Stock image of B&T VP9)
The shooter is seen pointing the weapon at Thompson last Wednesday morning
After the killing, the shooter jumped on an electric bike and peddled through Central Park.
He dumped his backpack in one of the Manhattan park’s famous lakes, with the silver accessory later uncovered by cops who found Monopoly money inside.
Thompson’s killer arrived in New York City late on the evening of November 24 on a Greyhound bus that originated in Atlanta.
The Greyhound made six or seven stops before reaching its final destination, the Big Apple’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.
After arriving in New York, the suspect took a cab to the Hi New York City Hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side where he lowered his mask and smiled while flirting with a check in attendant.
A grab of that encounter is the only image shared by cops of the shooter unmasked and caused a worldwide sensation.
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