Man questioned in case of New York CEO shooting

A man was being questioned on 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.

The man 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, citing sources familiar with the case.

Police have been looking into the possibility that the shooter used a long-barrel veterinary gun – normally used to euthanise 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.