Are silencers illegal in New York? Everything we know so far about UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killer

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death, on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. The shooting happened outside the Hilton Hotel on Manhattan's Sixth Avenue, and Thompson allegedly sustained at least two gunshot wounds.

As for the suspect, his identity is either still unknown or hasn't been revealed by the police. As per reports by The Mail, the alleged murder weapon was a handgun which seemed to have a silencer attached to it. In that case, it'd be important to note that attaching silencers isn't legal in New York.

In fact, New York is one of the eight states in the US, that illegalises the usage of suppressors or silencers. The other states with the same set of laws include California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Rhode Island.

For those unaware, a silencer is a muzzle device that could be attached to a gun to reduce the blast when someone shoots the weapon. Law enforcement officials further revealed that the attacker seemed to have premeditated the fatal shooting.

Police also gave insights into the area where Thompson was shot down. They revealed recovering a discarded cell phone in the alley through which the shooter fled. Cops, however, do not know if the phone belonged to either the suspect or the victim. They have thus, confirmed that a forensic analysis has been done on the phone.

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Police have released the photos of the suspected gunman who allegedly shot Brian Thompson to death

While law enforcement officials could not provide much details about the suspected gunman's identity, they have release other insights. Surveillance footage captured the suspect being a light-skinned man wearing a dark hooded jacket and a black face mask. H further had black and white sneakers on along witg carrying a large grey backpack.

Cops then claimed that it seemed unlikely that the suspect and Brian Thompson knew each other prior to the incident. On Wednesday, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch additionally stated:

"He appeared to wait for his intended target, I want to be clear. At this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."

Other speculation, as reported by The Mail, was that the suspected gunman was possibly a trained shooter since he carried the handgun quite confidently. As per ABC News, detectives, however, believed that the alleged shooter wasn't a professional killer since several "mistakes" were made.

According to sources, who spoke to the outlet, the suspect was once seen on a surveillance footage, earlier in the morning. He was walking outside the Frederick Douglass Houses which is a public housing project on the Upper West Side.

Police further recovered a cellphone, candy wrapper, and water bottle, which they believed could belong to Brian Thompson's alleged shooter.

NYPD detectives are reportedly working with the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, in order to find the suspect and detain him. Authorities are also trying to determine the motive behind the fatal shooting.