Retired New York City Police Department detective Bo Dietl said police investigating the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday already know the identity of the suspect.
"I've spoken to people, just not too long ago, they actually know who the person is, and it's a matter of time until they arrest them," Dietl said Friday on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"As soon as that photograph hit the press and was in the paper, I said, 'Oh, wow, they know who he is' because they wouldn't allow that photograph to get out unless they know who he is, because he's going to run. You can run, but you can't hide."
Dietl credited the "unbelievable" system of cameras in New York City, which allows authorities to follow people "all the way around."
"I've had cases on robberies where they follow them around corner to corner to corner, and now we have the identifying photograph," he said. "Bingo. That was it, when they identified his picture in that hotel, in that hostel hotel."
Dietl also decried the lack of security for healthcare executives after protests this year about denied insurance claims.
"But we got to remember, let's back up during the summer, they had all kinds of demonstrations with this denial of claims for the health industry," Dietl said. "And shame on them, with all these threats, that they didn't have proper security on them, especially coming into New York City, as it is in New York City.
"I really believe that CEOs and executives and their board of directors have to pony up some money and get real protection around these CEOs, especially if there's a threat. This guy had threats on him after that whole demonstration in front of his offices back in the summer, and you really got to think about it in today's environment."
Dietl also pointed out that professional assassins don't shoot "from 10 to 12 feet away." A professional, he said, would "run up to somebody" and "hit them in the head."
"I think this person was a person that possibly was hired by someone, but certainly not a professional in the sense that you don't shoot 10 to 12 feet away," he said. "You put one in their head, and that's the way you do it. That's how you kill somebody."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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