NYPD is now suspecting a “disgruntled” employee or client to be behind UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing. In a Friday press briefing, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny unravelled the possible thought process fuelling the suspected assassin’s motive.
Police suspect Brian Thompson's assassin bore a grudge against UnitedHealthcare
“Our thought on it is obviously it could possibly be a disgruntled employee or disgruntled client,” he told reporters. In what is believed to be a “premeditated” attack, a suspect on the loose fatally shot the health insurance mogul outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel ahead of an investor conference on Wednesday.
Also read | Police believe gunman who killed insurance CEO has left New York City
A chilling visuals captured the backpack-wearing gunman approaching the CEO, aiming his gun and firing at him. As per the latest development in the investigation, officers recovered a bag that possibly belonged to the suspected shooter in Central Park on Friday evening.
Only one image shows Brian Thompson's suspected killer's face
On top of that, surveillance pictures released on Thursday caught the gunman without a mask as he was reportedly flirting with the woman who checked him into the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Police sources say that he apparently shared a room with two other men. The suspect reportedly came to NYC ten days before the shooting.
{{/usCountry}}On top of that, surveillance pictures released on Thursday caught the gunman without a mask as he was reportedly flirting with the woman who checked him into the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Police sources say that he apparently shared a room with two other men. The suspect reportedly came to NYC ten days before the shooting.
{{/usCountry}}Acknowledging the seemingly meticulous planning that went into killing Thompson and ultimately escaping the scene, NYPD is under the impression that the killer harboured a grudge against the health insurance giant. Except for the one instance when the suspected shooter seems to have lowered his guard and removed his mask to flash a smile at the woman at the hostel, he went to great lengths to conceal his identity.
Also read | Man jailed for ‘senseless’ stabbing of friend who died five years after attack
NYPD’s top detective, Kenny, also remarked that the suspect didn’t say anything to his roommates at the lodging place during his days-long stay. Moreover, he even kept his mask on while eating.
Investigators suggested that the suspected gunman had left town after the fated incident, as footage showed him arriving at a Port Authority bus centre near 178th Street and Broadway an hour after the shooting. Cameras didn’t capture any sight of him exiting the station.