New York City police on Thursday released new images that clearly show the face of the man suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan early Wednesday morning.
As the investigation continued and important new leads came to light, police seemed to be closing in on the fugitive.
The newly released images were taken on a security camera at a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where police believe the suspect was staying.
Previously released images showed the suspect wearing a mask. But early Thursday morning, police posted a photo showing a smiling young man with the hood of his coat pulled up, and one man with a more serious expression.
The suspect remained at large as investigators scrambled to identify him and police continued to comb through a vast network of private and public surveillance cameras.
In addition to scrutinizing data related to e-bikes, law enforcement agencies deployed drones and dogs.
Officials had previously mentioned the Citi Bike brand of public e-bikes when talking about the vehicle used in the crime and the thousands of others dotting the city’s charging ports, but on Thursday Later in the morning this turned out to be unconfirmed. . The New York Times, citing people familiar with the investigation, reported that police are currently investigating the bike as an unmarked electric bike. Police chiefs said it was a targeted killing.
Other clues discovered include a cell phone, video footage of the suspect and the words “denial,” “defense,” and “expulsion” found at the scene, an anonymous source told ABC News. It is said that there were shell casings from burned bullets.
These words may recall a book published 14 years ago that criticized the U.S. health insurance industry. Its title, using a common term in business parlance regarding insurance claims, is “Delay Denial Defense: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do.” Reuters reported.
“Sorry, no comment,” the book’s author, Jay Feynman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey, said in an email in response to a news agency inquiry.
The coincidence suggests a possible motive, but as of early Thursday afternoon authorities had not addressed that aspect or claimed a motive for the killing.
According to a CNN report, police had earlier raided a hostel where the suspect was said to have been staying, and police found fingerprints while searching items related to the man, including a mobile phone and water bottle. He also reported that he expected the evidence to be examined. You may be able to identify yourself.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters. “All signs point to this being a pre-planned, deliberate, targeted attack.”
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Thompson was killed around 6:40 a.m. ET Wednesday by a man dressed in black, carrying a gray backpack and covering his face up to his nose.
The man in question was entering the Midtown Manhattan Hilton Hotel for an annual investor meeting when he pointed a silenced pistol at Ms. Thompson’s back and shot the executive at least once in the back and calf.
As Thompson fell to the pavement, the gun malfunctioned and the man, who police said was “skilled” with firearms, quickly removed it and resumed firing.
The suspect then fled to nearby Central Park on an electric bicycle. As of Thursday, no arrests had been made in the case, and police offered a $10,000 reward for information.
Since Wednesday, police also found footage of the man near the Frederick Douglass public housing project on Manhattan’s Upper West Side around 5 a.m. ET, ABC News reported.
The suspect’s motive remains unclear. Thompson’s widow said her husband had received threats. However, such incidents are not uncommon in the controversial field.
“There were some threats,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News. “Basically I don’t know, is there a lack of reporting? I don’t know the details. All I know is that he said there were people threatening him. That’s all.”
UnitedHealthcare is a branch of UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest companies in the United States. The branch provides private health insurance to tens of millions of people.
The need for private health insurance is commonplace in the United States, but it is often a thorny issue for the country, with insurance companies often accused of unfairly denying coverage. The company was also the subject of an insider trader investigation and an investigation into unfair trade practices, Fox Business News reported.
Mr. Thompson’s killing immediately sent shockwaves through the corporate world, with corporate security chiefs gathering on a conference call on Wednesday.
“Many of my colleagues today are talking with executive protection team leaders and security leadership teams to make sure they know what they’re doing,” said Dave Komendat, president of Seattle-based Komendat Risk Management Services. “We’re reevaluating what we’re doing and what we’re not doing,” he told The New Yorker. times.
Another security executive, Michael Julian, CEO of MPS Security & Protection, told Axios, “I’m shocked this guy didn’t have protection.”
Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette, and two sons.
Associated Press, Reuters and Joanna Walters contributed reporting.
