The New York Police Department (NYPD) has released new images of a suspect believed to be connected to the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. The images, shared on Thursday morning, show the gunman grinning, and authorities are now asking for the public’s assistance in identifying him.
The shooting happened just after 6:45 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to reports. Thompson, 50, was walking from his hotel in Midtown Manhattan toward a Hilton hotel when someone approached him from behind and shot him in the back. A resident of Maple Grove, Minnesota, Thompson had been in New York City for the annual investor conference of UnitedHealth Group. After he was shot, he collapsed, and a witness was filmed losing himself in nearby surveillance footage.
Wearing a dark hoodie and carrying a backpack over his shoulder, the gunman approached Thompson for a third shot. But his gun appeared jammed. After several moments of struggling with the weapon, the shooter managed to start firing at close range before fleeing from the scene. The suspect was last seen riding off on a bike toward nearby Central Park, according to the surveillance footage.
NYPD officials said the gunman waited outside the hotel for several minutes before President Thompson passed him, oblivious to the other pedestrians. Disturbingly, law enforcement later discovered that the bullets used for the shooting were marked with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” This led detectives to believe that the shooter might specifically want Thompson for undetermined reasons.
Joseph Kenny, NYPD’s chief of detectives, noted that the gunman’s quick handling of the weapon after it jammed indicated a high level of proficiency with firearms. “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” Kenny said.
As of now, the investigation is ongoing, and the NYPD continues to search for leads that could help identify the suspect involved in this tragic incident.
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