Man in Pennsylvania questioned in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder, police sources say

NEW YORK — A man in Pennsylvania is being questioned in connection to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, police sources tell CBS News New York. 

A source close to the investigation said that a person of interest was being questioned about Thompson’s murder after Pennsylvania authorities took him into custody on an unrelated incident in Altoona. 

The person being questioned was in possession of a gun with a silencer, matching a description of the weapon used to kill Thompson, and a fake New Jersey driver’s license, sources said.  

After Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside the Hilton Midtown hotel on Dec. 4, NYPD identified a person of interest who they said had used a fake New Jersey ID to check into a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Investigators later said they believed the person of interest had left New York City, possibly on a bus bound for Atlanta. 

Police have not confirmed if the man being questioned is the same person of interest seen at the hostel. 

Over the weekend, NYPD continued to search Central Park for clues, specifically the weapon used to kill Thompson, but were unsuccessful. Investigators on Friday found what they believe is the suspected gunman’s backpack in the park, law enforcement officials told CBS News.

Shocking murder caught on video

Thompson’s murder outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue near West 54th Street in Midtown Manhattan was caught on surveillance video. It showed Thompson walking down the street and the gunman appearing behind him. Wielding a pistol with a silencer on it, the gunman is seen taking aim and firing, shooting Thompson in the back. As Thompson falls, the gunman appears to clear a jam in the weapon, take aim and fire again. The gun then apparently jams again, before the gunman clears the round and fires once more before running across the street. 

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the killing a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack” as the department launched an all-out manhunt and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The FBI was also offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.  

“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said at a news conference the day of the killing. “The full investigative efforts of the New York City Police Department are well underway, and we will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter in this case.”

Quickly, investigators put together a timeline of the shooting, including the suspect’s movements and escape route. 

The next day, police released images of a person they wanted to question in connection with the killing as they zeroed in on the hostel where he was allegedly staying.

Pat Milton and

Marcia Kramer

contributed to this report.