A suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of a prominent Houston cardiologist is the subject of an arrest warrant, Houston police said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Joseph James Pappas, 65, is the suspect, Chief Art Acevedo said. He has not been seen for the past two days, the chief said.
Acevedo told reporters a tip came in Tuesday after surveillance video released a day before showed the suspect, whom someone said they recognized.
The suspect's mother was a patient of the doctor and died during surgery 20 years ago, Acevedo said.
Dr. Mark Hausknecht, who treated former President George H.W. Bush, was fatally shot as he rode to work at Houston Methodist Hospital on July 20.
The renowned cardiologist and the suspect were seen shortly before the shooting riding their bicycles on South Main Street, police said.
Acevedo said there was a "high probability"Hausknecht was targeted by a suspected gunman.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect following Hausknecht as both pedaled north, police said.
Hausknecht's wife, Georgia Hsieh, said police told her that her husband was riding through a construction area when the gunman rode up in front of him and fired three shots while facing him.
The cardiologist was found feet away from the construction site, where about 500 workers were on duty at the time, a construction manager at the site said. But no one heard anything because of the equipment.
A close-up surveillance image showed the suspect wearing a blue, short-sleeve polo shirt, a khaki or white cap, khaki shorts and an olive-green backpack, police said.
Other surveillance images showed the suspected gunman just behind Hausknecht as both headed north on Main across West Holcombe Boulevard, police said.
Police highlighted Hausknecht with a green circle and the suspect with a red circle on images posted on Twitter. The fatal shooting happened moments after that crossing, one block away, police said.
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