Key events
What do we know about the gunman?
The police are still searching for the gunman and offering up to $10,000 to anyone with information regarding Thompson’s death.
Police have described the gunman as a light-skinned male, who was wearing a light-brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and had a “very distinctive grey backpack”.
In a flyer released by the New York police department, there are two surveillance photos of the gunman. The photos show a person dressed in black with a grey backpack, holding a firearm, and another of the gunman on a bicycle.
Officials have said that no arrests have been made yet and that the investigation is ongoing. The motive is currently unknown.
Police say that they recovered three live nine millimeter rounds and three discharged nine millimeter shell casings.
Authorities also recovered a mobile phone in an alley where the suspect fled, they said, adding that the phone is being analysed to see if it is connected to the shooting.
What does the video surveillance of the shooting show?
Police say the video surveillance footage shows that the gunman arrived at the location on foot approximately five minutes before Thompson’s arrival at the scene.
At 6.44am, Thompson is seen walking alone towards the Hilton.
The gunman appears to ignore other pedestrians passing by before approaching Thompson from behind and shooting him in the back, police say. The gunman then moves closer to Thompson and continues shooting.
Authorities say that the gun then appears to malfunction, prompting the gunman to clear the jam before firing again.
The shooter then flees northbound into an alleyway between 54th Street and 55th Street. The shooter then continues walking westbound on the Avenue of the Americas, where he is seen getting on an electric Citi Bike and riding northbound toward Central Park.
The New York police department chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said that Thompson was found by police on the sidewalk in front of the Hilton with gunshot wounds to his back and his leg.
Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead at 7.12am.
Police say shooting appears to have been “premeditated” targeted attack
At a news conference on Wednesday, Police said that they believe that Thompson was targeted in the attack.
This was a “brazen targeted attack” said New York’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, adding that this “does not appear to be a random act of violence”.
“I want to be clear at this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned targeted attack,” she added.
A manhunt is underway in New York City after ‘brazen’ attack that killed UnitedHealthcare CEO
Police in New York City are searching for a gunman that fatally shot Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, one of the US’s largest health insurers, early on Wednesday morning.
Thompson was in New York City for the annual UnitedHealthcare investor conference that was scheduled to take place today.
But at about 6.45 am local time a man wearing a mask approached him outisde of the Hilton Hotel and fired at him repeatedly, police said, killing him.
Police have said that they believe that Thompson was targeted in the attack.
