As the investigation continues into the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing, the New York Police Department has released photos of surveillance footage, showing a man with a mask down and smiling, who police believe is a suspect.
A female hostel employee told authorities that she asked the masked man to lower his mask while flirting with him, and that’s how the authorities got the photos on Thursday, a law enforcement official told CNN.
“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 premeditated, targeted attack. 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 Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction,” the New York Police Department said.
The man lowers “his mask and gives a big smile,” John Miller, CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst said.
“That little flirtation between the two of them, in some good-humored way, actually yielded what is so far the most significant clue to identifying him,” Miller added.
Brian Thompson was walking towards the hotel on Wednesday (Dec. 4) morning for the annual investor conference of the company, when a masked gunman was waiting for him, lying in freezing cold when he opened fire at the CEO, CNN said, citing New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch.
‘Suspect tried to become a ghost’
A retired NYPD sergeant said that the suspect tried to become a ghost and may have fled to Central Park to quickly change his clothes.
Watch | UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder: Manhunt Underway For Gunman
“He tried to become a ghost, basically, and the ruse that he used was ‘Let me hide in plain sight’,” Felipe Rodriguez told CNN.
The suspect also used a fake New Jersey driver’s license to check into an Upper West Side hostel. The sergeant added that “every attempt that he made was to make sure that … we were not able to pick him up on camera.”
“He already knows that we’ve already picked up at least his clothing to be able to broadcast over the police radio, so what you wanna do is quickly change out of that,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)