Police have released a new image of the gunman suspected of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to death in New York City this morning.
A major search was launched for the masked male who remains at large, with officers having issued a $10,000 (£7,870) reward for information leading his capture. Mr Thompson, 50, was shot dead outside a Hilton Midtown Hotel on Sixth Avenue at around 6:40am ahead of an investor meeting.
Thompson was rushed to the Mt Sinai Hospital in East Harlem in critical condition, but was later pronounced dead, police told the New York Post. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) are now on an urgent hunt for the perpetrator, who was captured in harrowing CCTV images of the moment he fired at Thompson.
Police sources told US media that Mr Thompson, who became the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 after joining the UnitedHealth Group in 2004, was shot in the chest in an alleged targeted attack.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest private health insurer in the US and the company is worth more than $550billion (£433billion).
Another picture showed the gunman fleeing the scene on a bike, while witnesses told how he was seen waiting outside the hotel dressed in a hooded jumper before the shooting.
They claimed the killer appeared to know which door Thompson was going to emerge from before shooting him at point-blank range.
The suspect was wearing a white face mask and cream-coloured jacket at the time of the attack, with police saying he spend around five minutes waiting for Mr Thompson to emerge from the hotel.
The NYPD said it appeared that he had been staying at the nearby Marriott hotel before carrying out the shooting.
Jessica Tisch, the New York City Police Commissioner, told journalists attending a news conference that there was "every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack".
Police are yet to conclude a potential motive for the shooter, and said that nothing was taken from Mr Thompson's person. The shooter, who was last seen heading towards Central Park riding on an e-bike, is yet to be traced.
New Yorkers have not been advised to stay away from Central Park or take any particular precautions, but police have called on people to remain alert as the manhunt continues.
Officer sand investigators are using dogs and drones to search for the suspect, with a "massive police presence" posted at Rockefeller Centre and additional officers posted on the subway.