The New York Police Department has released two images of an unmasked person sought for questioning in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The 50-year-old executive was fatally shot in the back on Wednesday morning near the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Authorities believe the attack was a premeditated killing, as the assailant fled the scene without taking any of Thompson’s belongings. As per the information, investigators are working to identify the suspect and determine the motive behind the high-profile incident.
Where did shooting take place?
As part of their ongoing investigation, these images add to other evidence, including video footage of the attack and stills showing the suspected gunman at a Starbucks prior to the incident. The shooting took place close to major landmarks such as Radio City Music Hall, the Museum of Modern Art, and Rockefeller Center, which hosted its Christmas tree lighting the same evening. Authorities believe the attack was targeted, although the motive remains unclear.
Investigators recovered several 9 mm shell casings from outside the Hilton and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled. Inside a nearby trash can, they found a water bottle and protein bar wrapper that they say the gunman purchased from Starbucks minutes before the shooting. The city's crime lab is examining those items for DNA and fingerprints. The killing and the shooter's movements in the minutes before and afterward were captured on some of the multitude of security cameras in that part of the city. The shooter fled on a bicycle and was last seen riding into Central Park.
Investigation underway
A tip that the shooter may have stayed at a hostel brought police Thursday morning to at least two such establishments on Manhattan's Upper West Side, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. The photos, which were made public on Thursday, were taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel. Investigators were also looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, the official said. Security video shows the killer approaching Thompson from behind, levelling his pistol and firing several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the executive tumbled to the sidewalk. Cameras showed him fleeing the block across a pedestrian plaza before getting on the bicycle.
(With AP inputs)
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