The New York Police Department said that residents and tourists will be protected at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting Wednesday night following the apparent assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO three blocks away.
Brian Thompson, 50, was fatally shot Wednesday morning around 6:45 a.m. on the street outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown, police said. The police said at a press conference that the incident "does not appear to be a random act of violence."
They encouraged New Yorkers to remain vigilant as officers canvas the city for the suspect, who fled the scene.
"We're encouraging New Yorkers to go about their daily lives, their daily business but to be alert" NYPD chief of department Jeffrey Maddrey told reporters. "This incident will not affect the tree lighting...We'll have a massive police presence out there."
Newsweek reached out to UnitedHealth Group for comment earlier Wednesday morning.
Thompson was walking toward the Hilton dressed in a suit and tie when he was fired upon by a gunman who appeared to be lying in wait, police said. Joseph Kenny, the NYPD chief of detectives, said the gunman had arrived at the scene five minutes before Thompson.
NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the shooting a "premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."
The police found three 9-milimeter rounds as well as three shell cases at the scene.
""From watching the video it does seem that he's proficient with fire arms," Kenny said.
They are still working to identify the witness who was standing next to Thompson in the surveillance video.
The gunman went into an ally and was later seen on an ebike, police said. There was not video surveillance or eyewitness who saw where the gunman got the bike. A phone was recovered in the alleyway near the Hilton and a forensics team was in the process of analyzing it, police said.
The suspect and the bike were last seen near Central Park on Central Drive this morning, police said, adding that they were working with the ebike company to track its GPS.
"We will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter in this case," Tisch said.
NYPD is also working with Thompson's family and his coworkers to get more details about the incident and what could have led to it. Kenny also said his team is working with law enforcement in Minnesota, where Thompson lived and where UnitedHealth is based, and looking into Thompson's social media history to identify any potential threats.
They believe Thompson arrived in New York on Monday, and he was headed to the Hilton to set up early for an investor conference UnitedHealth Group was hosting there today.
"We don't spare any expense," Maddrey said. "We put all of our resources out there to support the Chief of Detective's mission and to keep our people safe."
Even still, Maddrey said the Rockefeller tree lighting Wednesday night will not be affected, as there will be "a lot of assets out there to make sure people can come out and have a good time"
The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be lit in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza around 9 p.m. Wednesday night. The 74-foot tree this year is a Norway spruce and has 50,000 multi-colored LED lights. The event will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson and broadcast live on NBC.
"This is a terrible event, but we're going to go on," Maddrey said.
The police are asking the public for their help. Anyone with information relevant to the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS. The award has been increased to $10,000.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with more information.
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