When do you think Luigi was identified as the patsy? Please let me know if you see cop-supplied assumptions in the below or if I'm missing anything.

(a) Before the fed-planned shooting. They looked for a reasonable match for their assassin. I'm not even dismissing this one but not going to type out a lot if nobody thinks this is the case.

(b) Before the independent shooting. The feds keep tabs on a big list of people who have dropped off the grid and can reasonably match pretty much any height, race and build to take the fall for major "crimes" committed by a masked individual. Overly complex.

(c) After the fed-planned shooting. Including for completeness' sake but it would be pretty hilarious if they didn't plan that far ahead.

(d) After the independent shooting, before he got to Altoona. NYPD didn't want to hog the credit and figured the Altoona PD needed some time in the spotlight.

(e) After the independent shooting, after he got to Altoona, before finding out that he had dropped off the grid. The cops were just extremely lucky that their close-enough match happened to have been a ghost for a long time before the shooting.

(f) After the independent shooting, after he got to Altoona, after finding out that he had dropped off the grid, before getting his ID. Altoona PD have been hiding the power level of their surveillance state and can use McDonalds-level security cameras to figure out that you've been laying low for months.

(g) After the independent shooting, after he got to Altoona, after finding out that he had dropped off the grid, after getting his ID. They've been stopping tall athletic white dudes with eyebrows all across the country until they hit the jackpot with Luigi and convincing everyone they let go not to talk about it.