THE FBI HAS announced that it is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of the shooter who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer on Wednesday.

The FBI’s New York Field Office has said that they are working with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to identify the gunman, who is believed to have fled from New York state.

Video of the gunman leaving the scene of the shooting of UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson showed him riding a bicycle to Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus depot, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

“We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

A backpack carried by the gunman was found in Central Park on Friday, and is currently being analysed by the NYPD.

The attacker made sure to conceal his identity with a mask during the shooting yet left a trail of evidence in view of the nation’s biggest city and its network of security cameras.

🚨UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.

The full investigative efforts of… pic.twitter.com/K3kzC4IbtS

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 5, 2024

The gunman wore a hooded jacket along with the mask on the day of the attack, concealing most of his face – a look that would not have attracted attention on a chilly morning.

Investigators have learned the man lowered his mask at the front desk of the hostel where he was staying because he was flirting with the woman who checked him in, a law enforcement official told the AP, leading to a photo of his face.

The woman told investigators that during that encounter she asked to see his smile and he pulled down his mask, the official said.

The law enforcement official added that investigators believe the suspect may have travelled to New York last month on a bus that originated in Atlanta.

Once arriving in New York, he always appeared to pay with cash in establishments where he was captured on camera.

The gunman’s whereabouts and identity remain unknown, as does the reason for Wednesday’s killing. Police have told US reporters that evidence firmly points to it being a targeted attack.

The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found emblazoned on the ammunition used by the gunman, echoing a phrase used by insurance industry critics.

Thompson’s wife said the healthcare CEO had received threats and police called the shooting “a brazen targeted attack.”

With additional reporting from Press Association.