Brian Thompson shooting latest: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder manhunt enters fifth day as new photos released

WorldPolitics
9 Dec 2024 • 11:40 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

Divers with the New York Police Department searched a Central Park pond for the gun used by the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Police say the shooter may have used a veterinary gun, which is a larger, quieter firearm typically used by farmers to put animals down. Meanwhile, officials released two new photos of the suspected shooter. In the images, shared late on Saturday night, the unnamed accused gunman is captured outside a taxi and then in the back of the cab. A medical mask is again covering his face.

The images come as police continue to uncover more evidence in the case. Officers found the suspect’s backpack in Central Park late Friday. Inside was two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money, sources told ABC News.

While New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted “the net is tightening” around the suspect, much remains a mystery as of Sunday morning. With the manhunt now entering its fifth day, the killer’s identity and his motive is still unknown.

Some NYPD investigators arrived in Atlanta Saturday as the manhunt goes multi-state.

Key Points

  • NYPD releases two new photos of suspect
  • New York police arrive in Atlanta to continue manhunt
  • NYPD divers search Central Park pond for suspect’s gun

Full story: NYPD probes theory UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot with a ‘veterinary gun’

03:30

Justin Rohrlich

Investigators believe the person who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel earlier this week “could possibly be a disgruntled employee or a disgruntled client,” according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

“This isn’t ‘Blue Bloods,’” Kenny said at a press conference on Friday, referring to a popular TV show starring Tom Selleck. “We’re not going to solve this in 60 minutes. We’re painstakingly going through every bit of evidence that we can come across.”

Read on:

image is not available

Video: Moment gunman shoots UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson dead in New York City captured on surveillance video

02:45

Katie Hawkinson

New York CEO shooting map: Movements of gunman who killed Brian Thompson

02:00

Katie Hawkinson

The manhunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a shooting in the heart of Manhattan has now entered its fifth day, with the killer still at large.

image is not available

The unanswered questions: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder leaves trail of unknowns

01:15

Katie Hawkinson

Here are the questions left unanswered as police search for Brian Thompson’s killer — and everything we know about the potential answers:

image is not available

ICYMI: Police reveal contents of shooter’s backpack

00:30

Katie Hawkinson

The New York Police Department said they found Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket inside a gray backpack believed to have belonged to the suspected killer.

Investigators found the backpack on Friday during the second search of Central Park.

Moments after shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson early Wednesday, the suspect fled the scene on a bike into Central Park, security footage showed.

Police have later footage of him entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but none of him leaving, indicating he may have left the city.

Full story: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked shooting suspect seen in new photos in back of taxi

Sunday 8 December 2024 23:45

Katie Hawkinson

The New York Police Department has released new photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In the two new pictures, released Saturday night, the suspect is seen wearing a black coat and a medical mask as he gets into the back of a cab.

Read on:

image is not available

Watch: Surveillance footage shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter exiting subway station

Sunday 8 December 2024 23:00

Katie Hawkinson

ICYMI: Rep. Ro Khanna says he understands social media’s response to death of Brian Thompson

Sunday 8 December 2024 22:40

Katie Hawkinson

Ro Khanna, a Democrat representing California’s 17th District, told ABC News he understands why many aren’t expressing sympathy for the murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“There is no justification for violence, but the outpouring afterward has not surprised me,” Khanna said Sunday morning. “ I, as a Congressperson, had UnitedHealthcare deny a prescription for a nasal $100 pump spray, and I couldn’t get them to reverse this. So imagine what ordinary people are dealing with.”

In the days following Thompson’s death, social media has exploded with users making dark jokes about his death and sharing their experiences with UnitedHealthcare — and other major American insurers — refusing to cover crucial procedures and medications.

“The biggest denial that comes when it’s cancer treatment,” Khanna added. “People are getting denied on cancer treatment, and my view is very simple. Why can’t we have a rule that if a doctor prescribes something, and if Medicare, traditional Medicare, is going to cover it, then private insurance companies should be forced to cover it?”

How did police find an unmasked photo of the suspect?

Sunday 8 December 2024 22:20

Katie Hawkinson

New York Police Department investigators were able to find and release unmasked photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO thanks to a flirty moment with a hostel receptionist.

Images released by the NYPD Thursday showed the suspect unmasked. When the images were captured, the suspect was “flirting” with a woman who worked at the Upper West Side hostel he stayed in, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Read the full story from The Independent’s Rhian Lubin:

image is not available

‘I wanted to convey the rage’: Folk singer goes viral with song about Brian Thompson killing

Sunday 8 December 2024 22:00

Richard Hall

Joe DeVito was on a long drive from a gig in Nashville to New York on Thursday with the news of a health insurance CEO being gunned down heavy on his mind. He saw that people were using the death as an opportunity to express anger at the health insurance industry and share their own stories of being denied coverage for care. Along the way, in Virginia, he pulled over at a rest stop to record a song about it.

“I wanted to throw my two cents in and try and try and convey that rage, and why people are so mad,” he tells The Independent.

“As a songwriter, my job is to capture these emotions and sort of wrap them in melodies and rhymes in a way that makes them more digestible and helps people understand them,” he adds.

See it: Officers patrol area where investigators searched for suspect’s firearm

Sunday 8 December 2024 21:40

Katie Hawkinson

image is not available

image is not available

Right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro decries social media response to CEO’s death

Sunday 8 December 2024 21:20

Katie Hawkinson

Right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro posted a video this week to his YouTube channel with more than 7 million subscribers titled, “The EVIL Revolutionary Left Cheers Murder!”

“The murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson brings with it a wave of sympathy…for the murderer,” Shapiro wrote in the video’s description.

Thompson’s death has prompted a much larger conversation on social media about the American insurance industry. Many posters have shared dark jokes on social media while revealing stories of injustices in the healthcare system, as The Independent previously reported.

Some commenters who claim they share Shapiro’s political views say they don’t agree with his video.

“Wow... I’m a conservative but Ben’s view on this is making me realize he really doesn’t care about the American people,” one commenter wrote.

“I have an uncle who is as conservative as they come, voted for Trump and everything,” another commenter wrote. “We have very little in common and avoid each other at holiday parties. I can tell you we both wept when my dad slowly died of cancer while the insurance he PAID FOR kept denying him life-saving care. We both saw the injustice in that.”

Watch: Ex-FBI agent says Brian Thompson shooter ‘trained for his mission’

Sunday 8 December 2024 21:00

Katie Hawkinson

UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked shooting suspect seen in new photos in back of taxi

Sunday 8 December 2024 20:40

Katie Hawkinson

The New York Police Department has released new photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In the two new pictures, released Saturday night, the suspect is seen wearing a black coat and a medical mask as he gets into the back of a cab.

Read on:

image is not available

ICYMI: US border patrol on lookout for suspect

Sunday 8 December 2024 20:20

Katie Hawkinson

Police have briefed US border patrol agents at both borders to keep an eye out for the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, CNN reports.

Investigators believe the suspect left New York City via bus after they found security footage of him entering Port Authority Bus Terminal, but did not find footage of him leaving.

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information on the suspect.

ICYMI: NYPD officers arrive in Atlanta to continue manhunt

Sunday 8 December 2024 20:00

Katie Hawkinson

New York Police Department officers arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday to continue their investigation into the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to CNN.

Police say the suspect arrived in New York City on November 24 after jumping on a Greyhound bus departing from Atlanta, Georgia. However, officials are not yet sure exactly where he boarded.

Atlanta police are assisting with the investigation.

The FBI joined the investigation earlier this week as well, offering a $50,000 reward for information on the suspect.

Colin Jost jokes about ‘hot’ UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter in SNL’s ‘Weekend Update’

Sunday 8 December 2024 19:40

Justin Rohrlich

The suspect in the shooting death earlier this week of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson took center stage during Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” with hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che needling the NYPD for not yet having caught the insurance executive’s killer.

“This week, New York City officials sent a tough message on crime: If you shoot somebody in the middle of the street, you better get on your bike, hop on a bus, and get the heck out of here, mister,” Jost said.

Read on:

image is not available

Several insurance companies pulled down executive biography webpages after Brian Thompson killing

Sunday 8 December 2024 19:20

Kelly Rissman

Days after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was killed in Manhattan, major health insurance companies are removing information about their top executives from their websites.

Police are still searching for the gunman who fatally shot Brian Thompson near the New York Hilton Midtown early Wednesday morning in what appeared to be a targeted killing.

In the aftermath of the deadly shooting, UnitedHealthcare took down its “leadership” page, WebArchive shows, and the page once containing biographies about its executives now bounces to the insurance company’s homepage with no information about those running the company.

Read more:

image is not available

Leaked video shows UnitedHealth Group chief complaining about ‘vitriolic’ coverage of Brian Thompson shooting

Sunday 8 December 2024 19:00

Justin Rohrlich

Three days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally gunned down by a masked man lying in wait outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, the head of the insurer’s parent company addressed anxious staff in a video sent to all US employees.

In it, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty told underlings that their work was “critical” in preventing the US medical system from providing “unnecessary” care he claimed would eventually drive up costs to an “unsustainable” level – as he complained about the “vitriolic” media coverage of the shooting.

Continue reading:

image is not available

How did police find an unmasked photo of the suspect?

Sunday 8 December 2024 18:40

Katie Hawkinson

New York Police Department investigators were able to find and release unmasked photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO thanks to a flirty moment with a hostel receptionist.

Images released by the NYPD Thursday showed the suspect unmasked. When the images were captured, the suspect was “flirting” with a woman who worked at the Upper West Side hostel he stayed in, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Read the full story from The Independent’s Rhian Lubin:

image is not available

What is a veterinary gun?

Sunday 8 December 2024 18:20

Katie Hawkinson

Police say the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have used a veterinary gun.

Veterinary guns are larger firearms used by farmers to put down animals without making a loud noise. The weapons are near-silent, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

“It’s a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches,” Kenny said. “If an animal has to get put down, the animal can be shot without causing a loud noise.”

CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller described the guns as meant for “close-up killing.”

“It’s meant for vets to kill an animal by shooting it in the head or somewhere, you know, that’s going to be fatal,” he said. “But it would work the exact same way on humans, very effectively and extraordinarily quietly.”

What unanswered questions are left on day five of manhunt?

Sunday 8 December 2024 18:00

Katie Hawkinson

The New York Police Department’s search for the man who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has entered its fifth day.

Investigators have found several clues, including the suspect’s backpack which contained Monopoly money and a jacket. They’ve also released new photos of the suspect getting into a taxi.

However, unanswered questions remain. Officials have yet to release the suspect’s name, though Mayor Eric Adams said this is to ensure the integrity of the investigation.

“If we do, we are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all,” Adams said of releasing the name.

Investigators are also still searching for the suspect’s gun and the bike he fled on. The NYPD sent divers to search a Central Park pond Friday for the suspect’s firearm, which they believe could have been a veterinary gun, a type of weapon used by farmers to put down animals without making a loud noise.

image is not available

Rep. Ro Khanna says he understands social media’s response to death of Brian Thompson

Sunday 8 December 2024 17:40

Katie Hawkinson

Ro Khanna, a Democrat representing California’s 17th District, told ABC News he understands why many aren’t expressing sympathy for the murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“There is no justification for violence, but the outpouring afterward has not surprised me,” Khanna said Sunday morning. “ I, as a Congressperson, had UnitedHealthcare deny a prescription for a nasal $100 pump spray, and I couldn't get them to reverse this. So imagine what ordinary people are dealing with.”

In the days following Thompson’s death, social media has exploded with users making dark jokes about his death and sharing their experiences with UnitedHealthcare — and other major American insurers — refusing to cover crucial procedures and medications.

“The biggest denial that comes when it's cancer treatment,” Khanna added. “People are getting denied on cancer treatment, and my view is very simple. Why can't we have a rule that if a doctor prescribes something, and if Medicare, traditional Medicare, is going to cover it, then private insurance companies should be forced to cover it?”

See it: New photos of suspect released by NYPD

Sunday 8 December 2024 17:20

Katie Hawkinson

image is not available

image is not available

Senator John Fetterman slams New York Magazine piece on suspect

Sunday 8 December 2024 17:01

Katie Hawkinson

Senator John Fetterman condemned a New York Magazine story about the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson titled, “The UnitedHealthcare Shooting was Inevitable.”

“No shortage of shitty takes on the 2024 election or on this assassination,” Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, wrote on X. “The public execution of an innocent man and father of two is indefensible, not ‘inevitable.’

“Condoning and cheering this on says more about YOU than the situation of health insurance,” he added.

Thompson’s death has prompted a much larger conversation on social media about the American insurance industry. Many posters have shared dark jokes on social media while revealing stories of injustices in the healthcare system.

Read more on the phenomenon from The Independent’s Richard Hall:

image is not available

SNL jokes about UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer

Sunday 8 December 2024 16:40

Katie Hawkinson

Saturday Night Live ‘Weekend Update’ hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost joked about the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the latest episode Saturday evening.

“This week, New York City officials sent a tough message on crime: If you shoot somebody in the middle of the street, you better get on your bike, hop on a bus, and get the heck out of here,” Jost said.

“The manhunt continued for the assassin who gunned down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on Wednesday, and it really says something about America that a guy was murdered in cold blood, and the two main reactions were, ‘Yeah, well, healthcare stinks,’ and also, ‘Girl, that shooter hot,’” Jost added.

“It’s also so crazy that the shooting happened three blocks from here in broad daylight, and the guy just bicycled away,” he continued. “Probably because they have every cop in the city guarding our Christmas tree.”

New Yorkers held UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter look-alike competition

Sunday 8 December 2024 16:20

Katie Hawkinson

New York residents held a look-alike competition for the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to reporter Talia Jane.

When asked who organized the competition, one person joked, “the FBI.”

This comes amid a national trend of communities hosting celebrity look-alike competitions. Previous contests included face-offs between look-alikes of Timothee Chalamet, Dev Patel and Jeremy Allen White.

NYPD officers arrive in Atlanta to continue manhunt

Sunday 8 December 2024 16:00

Katie Hawkinson

New York Police Department officers arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday to continue their investigation into the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to CNN.

Police say the suspect arrived in New York City on November 24 after jumping on a Greyhound bus departing from Atlanta, Georgia. However, officials are not yet sure exactly where he boarded.

Atlanta police are assisting with the investigation.

The FBI joined the investigation earlier this week as well, offering a $50,000 reward for information on the suspect.

image is not available

ICYMI: Police reveal contents of shooter’s backpack

Sunday 8 December 2024 15:40

Katie Hawkinson

The New York Police Department said they found Monopoly money and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket inside a gray backpack believed to have belonged to the suspected killer.

Investigators found the backpack on Friday during the second search of Central Park.

Moments after shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson early Wednesday, the suspect fled the scene on a bike into Central Park, security footage showed.

Police have later footage of him entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal, but none of him leaving, indicating he may have left the city.

NYPD divers search Central Park pond

Sunday 8 December 2024 15:20

Katie Hawkinson

NYPD divers searched a pond in Central Park on Saturday for the firearm the suspect used, CNN reports.

The suspect may have used a veterinary gun, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said earlier this week. Veterinary guns are larger guns used by farmers to put down animals without making a loud noise.

In addition to the gun, police are still searching for the bike the suspect fled on.

image is not available

ICYMI: FBI offers $50,000 reward for information on suspect

Sunday 8 December 2024 15:00

Rachel Sharp

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is now assisting New York police with their search for the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday.

The agency is now offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest and conviction. The New York Police Department also offered $10,000 for information.

image is not available

Leaked video shows UnitedHealth Group chief complaining about ‘vitriolic’ coverage of Brian Thompson shooting

Sunday 8 December 2024 14:45

Justin Rohrlich

Three days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally gunned down by a masked man lying in wait outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, the head of the insurer’s parent company addressed anxious staff in a video sent to all US employees.

In it, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty told underlings that their work was “critical” in preventing the US medical system from providing “unnecessary” care he claimed would eventually drive up costs to an “unsustainable” level – as he complained about the “vitriolic” media coverage of the shooting.

Read on:

image is not available

FULL STORY: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked shooting suspect seen in new photos in back of taxi

Sunday 8 December 2024 14:20

Rachel Sharp

The New York Police Department has released new photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

In these pictures, released Saturday night, the suspect is seen in a black coat with a mask on getting into the back of a cab. This comes after the department released the first unmasked photo of the suspect earlier this week. The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information, while the FBI is offering $50,000.

Read the full story:

image is not available

‘I wanted to convey the rage’: Folk singer goes viral with song about Brian Thompson killing

Sunday 8 December 2024 14:00

Richard Hall

Joe DeVito was on a long drive from a gig in Nashville to New York on Thursday with the news of a health insurance CEO being gunned down heavy on his mind. He saw that people were using the death as an opportunity to express anger at the health insurance industry and share their own stories of being denied coverage for care. Along the way, in Virginia, he pulled over at a rest stop to record a song about it.

“I wanted to throw my two cents in and try and try and convey that rage, and why people are so mad,” he tells The Independent.

“As a songwriter, my job is to capture these emotions and sort of wrap them in melodies and rhymes in a way that makes them more digestible and helps people understand them,” he adds.

Read on:

image is not available

ICYMI: Family and leaders mourn CEO

Sunday 8 December 2024 13:15

Katie Hawkinson

Brian Thompson’s loved ones and community leaders have expressed their grief at his passing.

“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” Thompson’s family said in a statement to Minnesota news outlet KARE. “We appreciate your condolences and request complete privacy as our family moves through this difficult time,” the statement continued.

Thompson is a father of two. Before taking the CEO job in 2021, he worked as the company’s head of government programs. As CEO, Thompson worked out of UnitedHealthcare’s offices in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called news of Thompson’s murder “horrifying.”

“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” he wrote on X. “Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”

Watch: Surveillance footage shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter exiting subway station

Sunday 8 December 2024 12:30

Katie Hawkinson

NEW PICTURES: NYPD releases two new photos of suspect wanted for Brian Thompson’s murder

Sunday 8 December 2024 12:14

Rachel Sharp

image is not available

image is not available

Who was UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson?

Sunday 8 December 2024 11:45

Katie Hawkinson

Brian Thompson is a father of two who served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare before he was fatally shot in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Before taking the CEO job in 2021, he worked as the company’s head of government programs. As CEO, Thompson worked out of UnitedHealthcare’s offices in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

Thompson was also named in a lawsuit filed by a Florida pension fund earlier this year accusing UnitedHealth of hiding an antitrust investigation by the Justice Department from shareholders while insiders sold stock, according to the Journal. Thompson had not answered the claims in court before Wednesday’s shooting.

Under his leadership, UnitedHealthcare provided coverage to more than 49 million people, making it the largest insurance company in the US. The network includes 1.3 million physicians and care professionals across nearly 7,000 facilities.

Under Thompson, the company made $74 billion in revenue in the most recent quarter, earning the title of the largest subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. Thompson made $10.2 million annually and was one of the company’s highest-paid employees.

image is not available

Why did Brian Thompson not have security with him?

Sunday 8 December 2024 11:00

Katie Hawkinson

Brian Thompson was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance wing of parent company UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

He had worked at the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company for two decades and led its insurance division since 2021. He was one of the company’s highest-paid executives, with a $10.2 million annual compensation package.

His wife said he had recently received threats from angry customers over complaints she believed may have had to do with “a lack of coverage”.

“I don’t know details,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

Despite the alleged threats, Thompson did not have security with him on the morning of the shooting. Eric Werner, chief of police for Maple Grove, Minnesota, where Thomspon lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.

Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s parent company UnitedHealth Group, addressed employee concerns about safety, according to a meeting recording shared by CNN.

“I know people are nervous around security and safety, and you will be seeing during the rest of the day, over the weekend and next week, a continued hardening of our security defenses on site across the country,” Witty said.

ICYMI: Three cryptic words were carved into bullets used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Sunday 8 December 2024 10:15

Katie Hawkinson

Watch: Moment gunman shoots UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson dead in New York City captured on surveillance video

Sunday 8 December 2024 09:30

Katie Hawkinson

ICYMI: Homes owned by murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO and wife targeted by bomb threats

Sunday 8 December 2024 08:45

Katie Hawkinson