The huge manhunt for the suspect is now in its fifth day.
The New York Police Department have released two new images of the suspected shooter in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday.
The 50-year-old was gunned down at point-blank range on the footpath outside the Hilton hotel on Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan, on Wednesday morning in what has been labelled a “brazen and targeted attack.”
The father-of-two was fatally shot in the chest and leg, with the killer fleeing on an electric bicycle.
In the past few days, only two images existed which appeared to show the suspect’s full face as he checked into a hostel days before the shooting and pulled down his mask to reportedly ‘flirt’ with the receptionist.
The new photographs, released in a post by @NYPDnews on X, show a man in a black hoodie, wearing a blue medical mask looking through the partition of what appears to be a New York City cab.
🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 8, 2024
The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing, and we are asking for the public's help—if you have any information about this case, call the… https://t.co/U4wlUquumf pic.twitter.com/243V0tBZOr
The second image is taken from inside a vehicle while the man is on the sidewalk.
It is hoped that the pictures released by the NYPD will lead to new information.
On Saturday, New York Mayor Eric Adams revealed that the police now have a name for the suspect wanted in the shooting and that the “net is tightening.”
On Thursday, it was revealed that forensic examiners who studied the crime scene discovered a ‘chilling message’ inscribed on the bullets used in the attack.
Police sources told ABC News that the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were discovered by detectives on the shell casings found at the scene.
NYPD detectives said they were working to determine whether the words were meant as a message from the shooter and a hint at his motive.
Over the past 48 hours, investigators have appeared to make several breakthroughs in the case.
🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 5, 2024
The full investigative efforts of… pic.twitter.com/K3kzC4IbtS
After combing Central Park, cops found what they believed to be the shooter’s backpack wedged between two rocks.
It was later revealed that the bag did not contain the murder weapon, according to reports.
The victim’s wife, Paulette Thompson, revealed to NBC News on Wednesday that her husband had received several threats in the lead up to his assassination.
“There had been some threats,” she said. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
She also told the outlet that the police had told her it appeared the shooting was “a planned attack”.
“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children,” she added.
