New photos released as the hunt for the UnitedHealthcare executive killer continues

New York police have released two photos of an unidentified man wanted for questioning in connection with the killing of a top health official.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the back Wednesday morning outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

The assailant fled the scene without taking Thompson’s property. The police believe that the victim was targeted in a planned incident.

Investigators are also using facial recognition technology and bullet casings with secret messages to track down the suspect. They have not disclosed the motive behind the shooting.

Here’s what we know about the suspect and the investigation.

The shooting happened around 06:45 EST (11:45 GMT) in a busy area of ​​Manhattan near Times Square and Central Park. Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor conference later in the day.

According to police, the suspect – who was wearing a black mask and a light brown or cream colored jacket – was seen waiting for Thompson for five minutes outside the Hilton hotel where he was expected to speak.

Thompson, who arrived on foot, was shot in the back and leg, and was pronounced dead half an hour later at a local hospital.

The chief of detectives of the New York Police Department, Joseph Kenny, revealed that the suspect’s weapon appeared to be misfiring, but he was able to fix it quickly and continued to shoot.

CCTV footage appears to show the gunman had fitted a suppressor, also known as a silencer, to his gun, BBC Verify said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams — a decades-long veteran of the NYPD — told MSNBC that the use of a silencer was unprecedented in his career.

“I have never seen the sender,” he said. “That was a shock to all of us.”

The video shows the suspect fleeing the scene on foot. Officials initially said the suspect used an electric Citi Bike from Lyft.

But Lyft, which owns Citi Bike, later said it had been told by the NYPD that one of its vehicles had not been used, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.

So far, the investigation into Thompson’s murder has focused on a few lines used by the police to identify the suspect.

Officials released two photos of the mutilated man Thursday saying the NYPD was “looking for questions” in connection with the murder.

It is not clear if he is the same person as the suspect.

Earlier, police revealed that the suspect was photographed at a nearby Starbucks minutes before the shooting.

While he was covered in the photo, police sources told CBS that the mask was pulled down enough to reveal his eyes and part of his nose.

For that, investigators use facial recognition software to try to find matches.

Investigators have not yet found a reason for his murder, although the police noticed that the suspect fled without taking Thompson’s property.

Additionally, police tested three bullet casings and three bullets found at the crime scene for DNA.

The words “deny,” “defend” and “exclude” were found in the lawsuits, two law enforcement sources told CBS.

Investigators believe this may refer to the “three Ds of insurance” – a well-known reference made by opponents of the industry.

The terms refer to tactics used by insurance companies to deny payment claims for patients in America’s complex and privately run health care system.

The words are similar – but not exactly – to the title of a book called Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.

This book, published in 2010, was written by Jay Feinman, a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. It is billed as an exposé of the insurance industry and a way to guide Americans on how to navigate the system.

Professor Feinman declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.

A mobile phone was found on the road near the suspect’s escape route. Police say they are “working” on the phone.

Investigators also said they have executed a search warrant for an area on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, which he was seen entering this morning.

The area is near the Frederick Douglas apartment building, where the police say the video surveillance of the suspect was outside around 05:00 on the morning of the crime.

Earlier, the police said they would also search Thompson’s room at the Marriott, which is close to the road where the incident happened.

Thompson joined UnitedHealth, the largest private insurer in the US, from accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2004.

He rose through the ranks and became CEO in 2021, leading the company through some very profitable years.

In an interview with MSNBC, Thompson’s wife said “there have been threats” made against him in the past, although she could not provide details.

“I just know that he said that someone was threatening him,” he said.

According to police in Thompson’s hometown of Maple Grove, Minnesota, there had previously been one suspicious incident at his home in 2018.

The incident was cleared with no criminal activity found. No further details were provided.