NEW CONCORDIA — Cross Security faces a widening criminal investigation after authorities connected the firm to hidden recording devices, alleged extortion and a deadly confrontation inside an industrial workshop.

Investigators say surveillance equipment disguised as a designer fire extinguisher was placed inside the apartment of event planner Simone Cooper. The device reportedly captured private conversations between Cooper and several wealthy clients.

“People pay me to plan a beautiful evening,” Cooper said. “Secret audio surveillance was never one of the party favors.”

Police recovered recordings and other electronic evidence after gunfire erupted during an alleged blackmail meeting. Multiple people were injured or killed, and a Cooper Events delivery van ended the night lodged inside the workshop.

Cross Security denied involvement despite its name appearing on the equipment and uniforms tied to the investigation.

Authorities are determining how many clients were recorded, who paid the alleged extortion demands and whether Cross Security provided anything resembling actual security.