Authorities are relying on CCTV footage to help track down the person responsible for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson, aged 50, was shot after leaving the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York City, at 6.46 AM on Wednesday, December 4. He had been attending an investor conference hosted by the company, which was subsequently canceled following the tragic event.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) suggested that the shooter may have been ‘lying in wait’ for Thompson, indicating that the attack did not seem to be a ‘random act of violence’. The gunman reportedly fired several shots at Thompson from behind.
Thompson sustained gunshot wounds to his back and right calf. Bullets and casings found at the scene were inscribed with the words ‘deny’, ‘depose’, and ‘defend’, as reported by ABC News and The New York Post based on police sources.
He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Thompson’s personal items were not taken, and police have yet to establish a motive. However, his wife, Paulette Thompson, informed NBC News that he had previously received threats.
“I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him,” she stated.
Investigators are now analyzing surveillance footage that captures the suspect’s activities prior to the shooting.
CCTV images show the suspect at a nearby Starbucks with a mask that was low enough to partially expose his nose. Authorities are using facial recognition software to identify him, according to BBC reports.
The New York Post noted that the suspect fled on foot down a nearby alley before returning to 6th Avenue, where the shooting occurred. He then got on an electric bike and rode up the street.
The suspect was last seen cycling north on 6th Avenue toward Central Park, where he entered at 6.48 AM. However, the CCTV footage becomes grainy at this point, as reported by The New York Post.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told CNN that the gunman approached Thompson and continued to fire, explaining, “It appears the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again.”
Former FBI special agent Terry Rankhorn suggested to Sky News that the malfunction might have been due to a ‘mismatch between the 9mm silencer used and what was likely subsonic ammunition’.