The New York Police Department has released pictures of a “person of interest” in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed Wednesday morning outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan. Police detectives have also reportedly discovered potential DNA evidence on items found at the scene of the crime.
Police officials told CNN that the New York Police Department’s top priority in the case is identifying the suspect who assassinated Thompson on Wednesday. Officials confirmed that the suspect’s picture has been circulated throughout the department as the homicide unit continues to investigate the incident.
An anonymous official told CNN that the New York Police Department’s video collection unit is collecting surveillance footage and searching for images of the suspect’s face to help identify the location of the at-large suspect with facial recognition software.
The New York Police Department shared a pair of photos on Thursday featuring a “person of interest.”
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“Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4,” the New York Police Department tweeted. “This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.”
The police department announced that it was continuing its “full investigative efforts” and asking anyone with information about the case to contact law enforcement officials. The New York Police Department added, “There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.”
A law enforcement official told CNN that the smiling picture of the person of interest was captured during an exchange with a female employee at a hostel in New York City. The official said the photo was taken when the employee asked the unidentified man to lower his face mask, which can be seen underneath his chin in the picture.
“He lowers the mask, and gives that 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.”
Sources told CNN that the New York Police Department is also examining evidence, including a water bottle and a burner phone that law enforcement officials believe the suspect dropped when he escaped from the scene of the crime after assassinating Thompson.
A senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that detectives have recovered potential DNA evidence from both the water bottle and the cellphone recovered from the crime scene. The source confirmed that the evidence was submitted to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for additional testing on Friday.