The Mayor of NYC says a suspect has been identified in the killing of a UnitedHealth executive, the NY Post reports

(Reuters) – Authorities have identified the man suspected of killing UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson and are arresting him, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was quoted as saying on Saturday by the New York Post.

“The net is getting tighter,” Adams told reporters at the Police Athletic League's holiday event in Harlem, according to the Post. He refused to identify the suspect.

Thompson, 50, who became CEO of insurance unit UnitedHealth in April 2021, was shot in the back around 6:45 a.m. ET (1145 GMT) Wednesday in what police described as a targeted attack by a masked assailant.

The killing occurred before the company's annual investor conference at the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue.

The shooting sparked a manhunt for the gunman, who fled on foot wearing a hooded jacket, balaclava and gray backpack before getting on an electric bike and riding into Central Park, police said.

Adams was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the police are withholding the suspect's name at the moment so as not to find him.

“We don't want to release that now,” said the mayor. “If you do that, you are giving a tip to someone who wants it and we don't want to tip them at all. Let him continue to believe that he can hide behind a mask. “

“We exposed his face,” he continued, referring to security camera footage and video released after the incident. “We will reveal who he is and we will bring him to court.”

New York police said on Friday they believe the suspect has left New York City, after a video emerged showing him getting into a taxi that took him to a bus station.

“We have video of him entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal. We don't have video of him exiting so we believe he may have boarded the bus,” New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. “Those buses are interstate buses. That's why we believe he may have left New York City.”

The circumstances of the attack suggested it was premeditated and premeditated, police said, with video showing the gunman ignoring other pedestrians as he appeared to be waiting for Thompson. The motive for the shooting was not yet known.

Security video showed the shooter behind Thompson, raising his gun and firing in the back. Thompson, a married father of two, suffered gunshot wounds to the back and leg and was said to have died in hospital shortly after the attack.

UnitedHealth is the largest US health insurer, providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for health care than the population of any other country.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Daniel Wallis)