A man wanted for questioning in connection with the slaying of powerhouse Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen fatally shot himself Wednesday night as police closed in, authorities said.
Chasen, 64, who represented A-list movie stars and promoted some of Hollywood's top films, was driving home Nov. 16 after attending the premiere party for the movie "Burlesque" when she was gunned down.
Beverly Hills police confronted the man as they were conducting a follow up investigation in the case at the Harvey Apartments on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles police captain Kevin McClure said at a news conference Wednesday.
"While conducting that follow up, the person they were looking for showed up. They attempted to talk to the suspect. When they did, the suspect produced a hand gun and there was a self inflicted wound at that point," McClure said.
Police said the man killed himself in the lobby and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Los Angeles Times, sources told the newspaper that the shooting occurred after 6 p.m. as police were serving a search warrant. The sources said the dead man was a suspect in the case and may have been part of a wider probe of the shooting.
Police sources told ABC News that they plan to do a ballistics test to see if the gun used in the suicide is the gun used to kill Chasen.
Authorities haven't released the man's identity and won't say how the man was connected to Chasen's death.
Residents at the apartment building told the Los Angeles Times that they believed the man was in his 40s and went by the name of "Harold."
Brandon Harrison told the Times that Harold described himself to a neighbor as "an ex-convict who served two stints in state prison, the most recent for firearms and drug convictions" and "vowed he would never go to prison." He told the neighbor that he would be receiving $10,000, either for a job he had done or from a lawsuit.
Beverly Hills Police emphasized that the man "was a person of interest" -- not a suspect and the investigation was not over.
Earlier, investigators said they had no motive, witnesses or suspects in the powerhouse publicist's killing but an initial coroner's report revealed that the shooter appears to be an expert marksman.
According to the preliminary coroner's report, "there were three apparent gunshot wounds to the right side breast/chest area. There were two apparent gunshot wounds to the right shoulder. There was an apparent gunshot wound to the right upper back and the left upper back."
"One bullet was recovered from her back while at the hospital and is possibly a 9mm hollow point," the report said.
Detectives suspect the gunfire came from a SUV or truck pulling alongside Chasen's Mercedes Benz E530. Chasen was stopped at a red light Sunset Boulevard and Whittier Drive when the shooting occurred.
"After being struck by gunfire...she then made a left turn and drove for approximately a quarter mile before she crashed her car into a pole," the report said.
Detectives say it appears the shooter was an expert marksman.
"Normally they turn the gun sideways and this is something that was done with some skill," said Gill Carillo, who worked as a homicide detective in Los Angeles for more than 20 years. "I carried a gun for 38 years and had to fire it quarterly. I don't think that I could shoot and hit that mass like that."
No shell casings were recovered and only the car's right side passenger seats and windows were damaged.
Investigators told ABC News that the security cameras that used to monitor traffic at the intersection where Chasen was shot were removed several years ago to save money.
However, Beverly Hills police are seeking for any surveillance video that may provide more clues in solving Chasen's murder.
On Nov. 18, The Hollywood Reporter, cited an unnamed Beverly Hills official who said police believed the attack "was planned in advance and not the result of road rage or a carjacking gone awry."
The Reporter's website also said there was "relevant footage" from at least one security camera near the site of the shooting.
The trade paper reported the video came from the home of Sherry Hackett, widow of the late comedian and actor Buddy Hackett, who lived down the block.
In addition to surveillance video, investigators are combing through computer hard drives seized from Chasen's office and listening to 911 calls.
"On the profile of this woman, you certainly have to look at the potential that somebody wanted to harm her," said former FBI agent Brad Garrett.
