Two photographs of the suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson have been released, as the New York City Police Department close in on the identity of the assailant.
Earlier on Thursday morning, police revealed they had found an image of the gunman without a mask, according to a CNN report.
At approximately 11:20 a.m. ET. the NYPD shared two photographs of the killer in a post on X, including one with the gunman flashing a smile.
“Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack,” the NYPD said in a statement alongside the photographs.
“The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing.”
As of Thursday morning, no arrests had been made with the NYPD offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect. The gunman’s motive still remains a mystery.
Thompson, a 50-year-old Minnesota resident, was due to speak at an investor meeting when he was gunned down at point-blank range around 6:46 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown on 6th Avenue. Police are calling the crime a “targeted attack.”
Almost two-hours earlier, the suspect, a white male dressed entirely in black, was first recorded walking outside the Frederick Douglass Houses, a public housing project on the Upper West Side, as early as 5:00 a.m., according to ABC.
He was next spotted on a Starbucks security camera at West 56th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan approximately 30 minutes before Thompson’s death on Wednesday morning.
The shooter was then spotted walking alone to the New York Hilton Midtown – where Thomson was scheduled to speak at a conference – about five minutes before the victim arrived, police said.
The suspect then stepped out from behind a car and gunned Thompson down, hitting him in the back and right calf, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
As the NYPD scrambled to find the killer, police deployed a swathe of investigators – uniformed and plain clothed – dogs, drones and helicopters in the hunt for the assailant, according to The Times.
Investigators were also said to be using facial recognition technology to try to identify the suspect from surveillance images.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that, based on a preliminary review, the police believe it was “definitely” not a “random act of violence”.
“We believe this was clearly a targeted shooting,” he said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday. “In all of my years in law enforcement, I have never seen a silencer before. That was really something that was shocking to us all.”
Adams added: “We’re on the right path, and we believe we’re going to apprehend this person.”
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
