Police release two more photos of UnitedHealthcare CEO’s shooter

New York: Police have released new images of a suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson as a manhunt continued for a fifth day on Sunday.

Additional photos show the suspected shooter in the back of a taxi – the first outside the vehicle and the second looking through the partition between the back seat and the front of the cab. In both, his face is partially obscured by a blue, medical-style mask.

A new image released by New York police of the suspect in a taxi.Credit: AP

Investigators are confident the brazen attack in Manhattan was targeted, not random, but despite troves of evidence, the shooter remains an enigma.

Police know the suspect ambushed Thompson at 6.44am on Wednesday as the executive arrived at the Hilton for his company’s annual investor conference, using a 9-millimetre pistol that resembled the guns farmers use to put down animals without causing a loud noise.

They know ammunition found near Thompson’s body bore the words “delay”, “deny” and “depose”, mimicking a phrase used by insurance industry critics.

The fact that the shooter knew UnitedHealthcare group was holding a conference at the hotel and what route Thompson might take to get there suggested he could be a disgruntled employee or client, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

An undated image shows a suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Credit: AP

While police are yet to name the lone shooter, New York City Mayor Eric Adams claimed to the New York Post that authorities had identified him and were closing in on him.

“The net is tightening,” Adams told reporters at a Police Athletic League holiday party in Harlem, according to the Post.

Police divers were seen searching a pond in Central Park, where the killer fled after the shooting.

United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.Credit: AP

Officers have scoured the park for days for any clues and found his backpack there on Friday. They didn’t immediately reveal what, if anything, it contained but said it would be tested and analysed.

On Sunday morning, police declined to comment on the backpack’s contents or the results of the search in the pond, saying no updates were planned. Investigators have urged patience, saying the process of logging evidence that stands up in court isn’t as quick as it appears on TV.

Hundreds of detectives are combing through video recordings and social media, vetting tips from the public and interviewing people who might have information, including Thompson’s family and coworkers and the shooter’s randomly assigned roommates at the Manhattan hostel where he stayed.

Investigators caught a break when they came across security camera images of an unguarded moment at the hostel where he briefly showed his face.

Retracing the gunman’s steps using surveillance video, police say it appears he left the city by bus soon after the shooting outside the New York Hilton Midtown. He was seen on video at an uptown bus station about 45 minutes later, NYPD’s Kenny said.

With the high-profile search expanding across state lines, the FBI announced on Friday it was offering a $US50,000 ($78,000) reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding to a reward of up to $US10,000 that the NYPD has offered. Police say they believe the suspect acted alone.

Police previously distributed the images to news outlets and on social media but said they haven’t been able to ID him using facial recognition technology – possibly because of the angle of the images or limitations on how the NYPD is allowed to use that technology, NYPD’s Kenny said.

AP, Reuters

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