The masked assassin who took out UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was caught on camera casually chatting on the phone just minutes before pulling the trigger, new video shows.
Surveillance footage shows a man decked out in the same dark outfit — hat, ski mask, and gray backpack — holding a phone to his ear as he strolled east on 54th Street toward the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue around 6:30 AM Wednesday — just 15 minutes before the fatal shooting.
The NYPD said the killer showed up about 5 minutes before the attack, lying in wait for his target. When the moment came, he used a gun with a silencer to fire the shots that killed Thompson.
Making a call just before carrying out a murder only strengthens the NYPD’s theory — this wasn’t a random attack, but it may have been a cold, calculated, targeted hit.
So far, none of the surveillance images give a clear look at the suspect’s face, but police aren’t giving up. They’re putting $10,000 on the table for tips leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction — and an internet sleuth has already come forward, pointing detectives to a potential escape route via Citi Bike tracking data, a lead they’re actively digging into.
Cops are also teaming up with UnitedHealthcare to uncover a possible motive, digging into any recent threats or bad blood with disgruntled ex-employees of the health insurance giant.
Thompson was rushed to the hospital after the attack, and was pronounced dead shortly after.
