Newly released photos of the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sparked wild observations online Thursday — including that the possible killer bears an eerie resemblance to movie stars like Timothee Chalamet and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The grinning suspected gunman — accused of shooting the executive execution-style on a Midtown street Wednesday — was unmasked Thursday in surveillance camera footage released by the NYPD that some observers compared to a Hollywood headshot.
“We got him, it’s Jake Gyllenhaal!!!” one X user quipped.
“Jake Gyllenhaal wanted in connection with United CEO assassination,” another wrote next to an image of the smiling accused shooter.
Others said the alleged assassin was a lookalike for the 28-year-old star of “Dune.”
“The United Healthcare CEO killer is …. Timothee Chalamet??” a commenter wrote on X — as another joked, “Did Timothee Chalamet kill the United Healthcare CEO?”
The surveillance images released by the NYPD showed the suspect, who has not been named, flashing a smile with a black mask hanging from his chin.
Cops had previously released a photo of the hooded man standing at a Starbucks counter at West 56th Street and Sixth Avenue, just minutes away from the Hilton hotel where he allegedly shot Thompson, 50, at close range.
What we know about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
- Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, was gunned down Wednesday outside a luxury Midtown hotel in a “brazen, targeted attack,” police said.
- The methodical killer used a firearm with a silencer outside the Hilton hotel along Sixth Avenue.
- The gunman fired at Thompson multiple times, striking his back and right calf before fleeing on foot.
- The NYPD released a new photo of the hooded suspect standing in front of the counter at the Starbucks at West 56th Street and 6th Avenue, just minutes from the Hilton hotel where he gunned down Thompson, 50.
- Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealth in April 2021. He joined the company in 2004. He was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation by the Department of Justice.
- Thompson’s wife, Paulette, said her husband had been getting threats before he was killed.
- The NYPD is investigating a possible message — which appears to include the words “deny,” “depose” and “defend” — engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the masked assassin.
Follow along with The Post’s live updates on the news surrounding Brian Thompson’s murder.
The accused killer was sporting the same grayish hoodie he wore when he is believed to have fired repeatedly at Thompson on Wednesday morning as the victim walked up to the hotel.
Police said the gunman fired multiple rounds before fleeing quickly on foot and then grabbing an e-bike to complete his getaway.
