Man questioned in case of murdered health exec

A man was being questioned Monday in connection with last week’s killing of a top health insurance executive on a New York street, US media reported, as a nationwide hunt for the suspect continued.

He was quizzed by police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after being found with a distinctive weapon like that used in the brazen shooting of Brian Thompson, NBC News and others reported.

The man was spotted in a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, a town 300 miles (500 kilometers) west of New York, by someone who tipped off the authorities, The New York Times reported.

He also had fake IDs similar to those used by the killer ahead of the slaying, the outlet added, reporting that New York detectives were headed to Altoona.

Police have been looking into the possibility that the shooter used a long-barrel veterinary gun — normally used to euthanize animals — to commit the murder.

The gunman walked up behind Thompson, a senior figure at UnitedHealthcare — one of the country’s largest medical insurers — and shot him dead last Wednesday in front of bystanders, in an attack captured by a surveillance camera and since seen by millions.

Thompson was attending an investor conference in the Midtown business district.

– Motive uncertain –

Detectives said the suspect fled the crime scene on foot, before riding a bike to Central Park, and later boarding a bus from a terminal in the north of the city connecting New York to surrounding states and beyond.

Police have yet to suggest a motive and would not confirm media reports that the words “delay” and “deny” — language often used by insurance companies to reject claims — were written on shell casings found at the scene.

Video footage shows Thompson on the sidewalk outside the New York Hilton Midtown when a man in a hooded top, his lower face covered, approaches from behind, then fires several shots at his 50-year-old victim, who crumples to the ground.

The New York Police Department told AFP that detectives had no update for the media, while the Altoona Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.

An image released of the smiling suspect was obtained from a youth hostel where the gunman apparently stayed before the hit, with media reporting he had lowered his mask to flirt with a receptionist.

Authorities subsequently located a gray backpack in Central Park thought to belong to the killer containing a jacket and Monopoly money, US media reported.