CVS Health has removed photos of its executives from its website as the search for the gunman who shot dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues. The company confirmed to FOX Business on Friday that all photos of its executive team had been taken down, though CVS declined to provide further comments.
Similarly, UnitedHealthcare has removed its leadership page, redirecting the URL to the company's homepage. This action comes amid heightened concerns within the healthcare sector after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Wednesday in what authorities are describing as a "premeditated, targeted attack." The yet unidentified gunman killed him in broad daylight and fled the scene.
CVS on High Alert
The Hilton was the venue for UnitedHealth's annual investors conference, and authorities revealed that Thompson had been in New York since Monday, staying at a hotel across the street.
The NYPD is continuing its search for the suspect and has announced a $10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest.
While the motive for the killing remains unclear, UnitedHealth, the country's largest health insurer, has faced widespread criticism in recent months, particularly over allegations of wrongful claim denials.
This came as it was revealed that the alleged shooter of Thompson had checked into an Upper West Side hostel using a fake New Jersey ID shortly before the shocking attack. The suspect used the fake ID to book a spot at the HI New York City Hostel, located at 891 Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan, on November 30, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
Surveillance footage captured the suspected killer grinning inside the hostel in eerie images taken before the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown early Wednesday morning, as a widescale manhunt for him continued.
Police and FBI agents searched the hostel after surveillance footage showed the gunman in the area shortly before the deadly shooting. According to sources, a search of the room rented by the suspect yielded nothing of note as of Thursday afternoon.
Police Clueless So Far
As the manhunt intensified, authorities recovered the burner phone the suspect discarded while fleeing the scene. He vanished into Central Park just moments after fatally shooting the UnitedHealthcare executive.
Police reported that the suspect was seen using the phone to make a call as he approached the hotel on Sixth Avenue.
Investigators also found one of the water bottles he had bought at a Starbucks on West 56th Street and Sixth Avenue, just a short distance from the hotel.
On Thursday, a hostel clerk's brief flirtation with the suspected killer provided authorities with crucial evidence by allowing a clearer view of the attacker.
The staff member told CNN that she while flirting with the gunman asked to lower his mask while checking him into the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
The suspect obliged, enabling the hostel's surveillance cameras to capture a clearer image of his smiling face. The NYPD later released the footage as part of their ongoing search for the fugitive.
