The NYPD has released new photographs of the suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown on Wednesday. The new images reveal the suspect's face for the first time, which had previously been hidden by a mask. In one photo, the gunman is even seen smiling.
The chilling pictures were captured at a youth hostel on the Upper West Side, where authorities suspect the gunman may have stayed before carrying out the shooting. Police are continuing their search for the suspect, who was last seen riding away from the scene on Sixth Avenue and entering Central Park shortly before 7 a.m. that morning.
Search for Shooter Enters Second Day
At around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, a masked assassin gunned down the multi-millionaire UnitedHealthcare CEO on one of New York's bustling shopping avenues. After ensuring that the target was dead, the hooded killer calmly walked away, seemingly vanishing into thin air in one of the most heavily monitored cities in the world.
Thompson, 50, who earned $10 million annually suffered at least two gunshot wounds—one to the back and another to his leg—outside the Hilton Hotel on Manhattan's Sixth Avenue. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police believe the attack was targeted, with the assassin waiting outside the Hilton for roughly five minutes before Thompson exited the hotel across the street. Thompson had arrived in New York on Monday and was heading to his company's annual investor conference at the Hilton, where he was scheduled to announce projected revenues exceeding $450 billion.
UnitedHealthcare is the nation's largest health insurance provider. Chilling surveillance footage reveals the assassin emerging from behind a parked car and shooting Thompson—who was unaware of the impending attack—with a large handgun, seemingly equipped with a silencer.
The first shot caused the married father of two to stumble and fall, as a bystander hurriedly fled the scene.
When the gun appeared to jam, the shooter adjusted the weapon before stepping closer and firing another shot at Thompson.
Major Breakthrough
Police were alerted immediately, but the suspect, carrying a distinctive gray backpack, had already escaped. He sprinted through an alley before boarding what is believed to be an electric bike, riding up Sixth Avenue and into Central Park. By 6:48 a.m., just three minutes after the shooting, he had disappeared without a trace.
Despite an intense city-wide search, a $10,000 reward for tips, and the full resources of New York City's police force, there is still little information about the identity of Thompson's killer, the motive behind the attack, or his current whereabouts.
Police said that they found a phone in the alley where the suspect fled. While they have not confirmed if the device belongs to the shooter or revealed its contents, they said it is undergoing forensic analysis.
The suspect is believed to have fled on foot to Sixth Avenue, where he picked up an electric bike and rode into Central Park, entering via Center Drive before vanishing.
Initially, authorities indicated they were working with Lyft, the company that operates Citi Bike, to track one of their GPS-enabled e-bikes. However, on Wednesday night, a law enforcement official told CNN that this information was incorrect, saying the e-bike used by the shooter was not a Citi Bike.
How the bike was acquired remains unclear. Rental e-bikes require payment and memberships, which store user information electronically. The bike could have been stolen, used with someone else's membership, or privately owned by the suspect.
