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LOS ANGELES — A suspect in the mysterious murder last month of top Hollywood film publicist Ronni Chasen killed himself on Wednesday as police attempted to question him.
The man, whose name was not released, shot himself in the early evening as Beverly Hills Police detectives were conducting a "follow-up investigation" at the man's Hollywood apartment building, police said.
"While conducting that follow-up, the person that they were looking for showed up. They (police) attempted to talk to the suspect. When they did, the suspect produced a handgun, and there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Los Angeles police Captain Kevin McClure told reporters outside the building.
The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, told a neighbor he had spent time in prison for firearms and drugs offenses, and would rather die than return, the Los Angeles Times reported. He also told the neighbor that he was due to receive $10,000, giving conflicting accounts of why: for a job he had done or from a lawsuit.
A retired investigator who saw a preliminary coroner's report told The Associated Press Chasen's death appeared to be the work of a professional hit man.
The veteran publicist, 64, was shot five times in the chest in the early morning of November 16 as she was driving through Beverly Hills on her way home from a premiere party for the film "Burlesque," whose soundtrack she was promoting for an Oscar nomination.
Her death stunned Hollywood because Chasen was well-liked in the film community. She had been driving home in her car, and people who had seen and spoken with her at the premiere party saw no signs of distress.
'Not over yet'
Beverly Hills police Sergeant Tony Lee told reporters Wednesday that the investigation into Chasen's death "is ongoing at this time ... it's not over yet."
NBC station KNBC also reported LAPD sources as saying the investigation was wider than just the suspected shooter.
The Los Angeles Times quoted a neighbor, Brandon Harrison, as saying the dead man, known only as Harold, had told residents in the building that he had served time in a state prison for firearms and drug offenses.
"He told me several times, 'If it ever came back down to me going to prison, I would die first,'" Harrison told the Times.
He added that Harold had been evicted from Harvey Apartments for not paying his rent, but continued to return to the building, asking people if the police had called to look for him.
Harrison told the Times that Harold — described by Harrison as "very strange" — had spoken about getting $10,000, saying it was for a job he done but then claiming it was the result of a lawsuit.
Terri Gilpin, another building resident, said she was taking a nap when she heard a single shot fired.
"I thought it was backfire, but I was kind of half-asleep, in a drowsy state of mind," she said. "It was kind of like a pop."
Gilpin said she saw blood splattered on the lobby floor of the Harvey Apartments.
The building has about 170 units with rents starting at about $625 a month, 25-year-old resident Terry Pendergrass said.
Award season
Two blocks of Santa Monica Boulevard were shut down and dozens of officers and squad cars were gathered outside the four-story hotel, which was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
Chasen promoted the Oscar-winning film "Driving Miss Daisy" and had also worked with other major movies and stars since the 1970s.
Her death came in the midst of award season, her busiest time of year, when she helped studios mount expensive promotion campaigns for films.
Police haven't released a possible motive in her slaying, and they remained tightlipped about progress in the investigation.
Earlier Wednesday, a retired investigator who saw a preliminary coroner's report on Chasen's shooting said the killer was an expert shot who was able to squeeze off multiple rounds in a tight and deadly formation.
Gil Carrillo, who recently retired as a lieutenant after 38 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said he reviewed the document after it was obtained by KTTV Fox 11 News.
"The thing that stands out is the shots — where they were and the lack of hits anywhere else," Carrillo told The Associated Press. "It's a good shot group."
The close grouping suggests the shooting was carried out by a hit man and was not the result of a gang attack or road rage, Carrillo told the AP.
KTTV said it appeared Chasen was shot three times in the right chest area and twice in the right shoulder.
"Whoever was shooting was aiming for center mass, and they got center mass," Carrillo said.
Chasen drove on, then crashed
Coroner's spokesman Ed Winter would not confirm the authenticity of the document cited by Carrillo, which apparently was written by an investigator before Chasen's autopsy. But Carrillo said he was certain it was genuine.
The document is now under a security hold, which means police must approve its official release.
The document says a hollow-point, 9-mm bullet was recovered from Chasen's body, though Carrillo cautioned that ballistics tests could reveal the slug was a different caliber.
Investigators believe Chasen was shot as she waited to turn left from Sunset Boulevard to Whittier Drive, a road she could have taken to get back to her home in West Los Angeles. After she was shot, she drove about a quarter mile down Whittier before crashing into a light pole.
Chasen was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Snowden said there have been only four homicides in Beverly Hills in the past five years, with three occurring this year. On July 20, the son of movie producer Fuminori Hayashida was found stabbed to death outside his home.
In 2008, actor Mark Ruffalo's brother Scott Ruffalo died from a gunshot wound to the head. The death was ruled a homicide.
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