UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting latest: NYPD zero in on suspect’s ID as backpack found in Central Park

WorldPolitics
7 Dec 2024 • 10:49 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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A manhunt continues for the masked gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel as police uncover more evidence that is potentially linked to the suspect of interest.

Investigators uncovered a backpack in Central Park that is believed to have belonged to the suspected shooter late Friday. Police did not open the backpack and immediately sent it to forensics.

Police also have video of the man entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal after fleeing the scene of the shooting on a bicycle, but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN.

“We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on Friday, adding that police released photos of the person not wearing a mask, described as the “money shot”.

The gunman was masked during the shooting and used a fake New Jersey ID to book a room at the HI New York City Hostel, but pulled down the covering during a flirty exchange with a clerk.

Police say he arrived in New York from Atlanta, Georgia on a Greyhound bus last month, checking into his hostel on November 30.

Key Points

  • Law enforcement locate backpack in Central Park
  • Police have ‘reason to believe’ suspect in CEO killing left NYC
  • Killer reveals face after ‘flirting' with hostel worker who asked to ‘see his pretty smile’
  • Family of slain CEO ‘shattered’ to hear about ‘senseless’ killing
  • Words written on bullets were “delay”, “deny”, “depose”

Watch: NYPD searched Central Park for backpack of gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO

14:40

Katie Hawkinson

The New York Police Department found the suspect’s backpack in Central Park on Friday.

Watch below as they searched for the key piece of evidence:

Suspect last seen in Port Authority bus terminal

14:20

Katie Hawkinson

The man police say fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was last seen on security footage entering New York City’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.

However, police said they don’t have footage of him exiting, leading them to believe he left New York City.

The shooter arrived last month on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, Georgia and checked into an Upper West Side hostel on November 30 with a fake New Jersey ID, police said.

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Timeline of the gunman’s movement

14:00

Ariana Baio

November 24

10:11 p.m.: Gunman arrives in New York City on a bus

December 4

5:30 a.m.: Gunman leaves the hostel he’s staying at and heads toward Midtown

5:41 a.m.: Gunman arrives at the Hilton in Midtown and begins wandering the area

6:44 a.m.: Gunman fatally shoots Brian Thompson and then flees on foot before getting on a bicycle

6:48 a.m.: The gunman arrives to Central Park

6:56 a.m.: The gunman leaves Central Park on a bicycle

7:04 a.m.: Cameras show gunman on 86th Street getting into a cab

7:30 a.m.: Gunman enters the bus station on 128th Street.

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

13:00

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.

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 from Kelly Rissman:

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Gunman arrived in New York on November 24

12:00

Ariana Baio

Law enforcement officials said the suspected gunman who shot the UnitedHealthcare CEO arrived in New York City on November 24th by bus that is believed to have originated in Atlanta.

The gunman reportedly stopped by the Midtown Manhattan Hilton hotel at least 10 days before the shooting.

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

11:00

Katie Hawkinson

Fake bomb threats were made against a home owned by UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and another owned by his wife after he was murdered Wednesday morning.

The two homes, which are less than a mile apart in Maple Grove, Minnesota, were targeted on Wednesday evening, The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. The threat was sent via e-mail to multiple people who then notified the police.

However, the threats were not credible and were considered an act of “swatting,” Maple Grove police said.

“No devices or suspicious items were located during the investigation,” a police spokesperson said in a statement. ”The case is considered an active investigation, while the incident appears to be a hoax.”

The Minneapolis Police Department bomb squad and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office also helped investigate the threats, the Star Tribune reports.

Watch: Surveillance footage shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter exiting subway station

09:00

Ariana Baio

Who is Brian Thompson?

07:00

Katie Hawkinson, Madeline Sheratt

Thompson, 50, a father of two, was shot at point-blank range near the New York Hilton Midtown on Wednesday morning just before a scheduled investor meeting.

“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the company said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News in the hours after her shooting her husband received threats prior to his killing. UnitedHealth Group was aware of concerning threats against its executives, CNN reported.

“There had been some threats,” she told the outlet. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of [health insurance] coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

Gun could be a firearm used in veterinary

05:00

Ariana Baio

NYPD investigators have hypothesized the gun used in the shooting of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson could be a type of firearm used in veterinary.

“If an animal has to get put down, the animal can be shot without” the weapon causing a large noise,” Joseph Kenny said, per The New York Times.

The gunman used what appeared to be a silencer on the firearm when he shot Thompson on Wednesday morning.

Police uncover suspected backpack of gunman who killed UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson

03:00

Ariana Baio

On Friday evening, police in New York City found a backpack in Central Park that they believe was worn by the gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this week.

The masked gunman, whose identity is still unknown, could be seen wearing a backpack in security footage that captured the methodical shooting outside of a hotel in Midtown, Manhattan on Wednesday morning. Moments after the gunman shot Thompson he took off on a bike and headed into Central Park. Video footage later captured him leaving the park and taking a taxi to a bus terminal, without the backpack.

Read more here:

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Image of backpack found in Central Park

02:30

Ariana Baio

ABC News has obtained an exclusive photo of the backpack that officials discovered in Central Park on Friday afternoon, believed to belong to the gunman who killed Brain Thompson.

What does the UnitedHealth CEO shooting tell us about American healthcare?

02:00

Richard Hall

When the CEO of one of the largest medical insurance companies in the United States was gunned down on the street in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, his death quickly turned into a larger conversation about the much-reviled industry in which he worked.

Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, had been in New York City for a conference when he was killed in what police believe was a targeted shooting.

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Map of the shooter’s movement

01:06

Ariana Baio

Words written on bullets were “delay”, “deny”, “depose”

00:25

Ariana Baio

Three words that were written on bullet casings found at the scene of the shooting mirror language used by critics of health insurance companies: “delay”, “deny”, “depose”.

Critics often use those words to call out insurers for delaying payments, denying claims and defending their actions. A 2010 book used similar words as those seen on the bullet in it’s title: Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It .

New York Police Department Chief of Detective, Joseph Kenny, told reporters each word was written on a bullet.

Contents of backpack are unknown

Friday 6 December 2024 23:40

Ariana Baio

It is unclear at this time what items may, or may not, have been in the backpack that police found in Central Park.

Detectives told The New York Times they were not going to open the backpack until it was examined at a forensic lab for evidence.

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Police locate backpack and other items in Central Park

Friday 6 December 2024 23:23

Ariana Baio

New York Police officers have uncovered what is believed to be the suspected shooter’s backpack in Central Park, a law enforcement agent told CNN on Friday evening.

The backpack was reportedly located between two boulders south of the Central Park carousel. That area is now being surveyed by crime scene technicians, according to The New York Times.

This is the second night in a row that police have searched the park looking for items that may have belonged to the person of interest. So far, police have not been able to identify the masked man.

Along with the backpack, police confiscated what appeared to be clothing and “a heavy object” according to The New York Times.

Police searching for shooter’s backpack in Central Park

Friday 6 December 2024 21:12

Andrea Cavallier

A dozen officers were searching for the shooter’s backpack near the intersection of 65th Street and Center Drive in Central Park on Friday, the New York Times reported.

The backpack appeared to be left behind by the gunman on Wednesday after he shot and killed CEO Brian Thompson. Video shows the gunman exiting the park without the bag.

Police on Friday searched trash cans, grates, storm drains and leaf piles in the park. It’s not clear if anything has been found yet.

Atlanta police assisting NYPD in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting investigation

Friday 6 December 2024 20:45

Andrea Cavallier

The Atlanta Police Department said Friday that they are assisting the New York City police department “as needed” as part of the investigation into the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

On November 24, more than a week before the shooting, the suspect traveled on a Greyhound bus from Atlanta to New York by bus, law enforcement sources told Fox News.

“As of this afternoon, on December 6, 2024, the Atlanta Police Department was contacted by the NYPD and will now be providing assistance as needed. The NYPD is the lead agency in this investigation so please direct all questions to their Public Affairs Office. The Atlanta Police Department will not be able to provide interviews or answer any questions regarding this investigation.”

The manhunt for the shooter continues.

Investigators say shooter ‘definitely planned this out’

Friday 6 December 2024 20:40

Andrea Cavallier

The gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO “definitely planned this out,” authorities told CNN on Friday as the manhunt continues.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said they video of the suspect about 30 minutes before the shooting, “walking and wandering around the hotel area before he committed this act.”

“He knew what time the victim was going to be walking by. He knew what hotel this conference was going to be in,” Kenny said.

Investigators are still going through footage as the NYPD has access to “tens of thousands of cameras” around the city, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, something she said has been “huge” in the investigation.

Investigators say shooter ‘definitely planned this out’

Friday 6 December 2024 20:39

Andrea Cavallier

The gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO “definitely planned this out,” authorities told CNN on Friday as the manhunt continues.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said they video of the suspect about 30 minutes before the shooting, “walking and wandering around the hotel area before he committed this act.”

“He knew what time the victim was going to be walking by. He knew what hotel this conference was going to be in,” Kenny said.

Investigators are still going through footage as the NYPD has access to “tens of thousands of cameras” around the city, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, something she said has been “huge” in the investigation.

CEO of UnitedHealth Group addresses employees' safety concerns after shooting

Friday 6 December 2024 20:30

Andrea Cavallier

Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, released a video on Thursday addressing employees’ safety concerns after the shooting of CEO Brian Thompson.

“I want to reiterate just how immeasurably sad the tragic passing of Brian really is to his family, to his friends, to all of his work colleagues and, frankly, to the American health care industry within which Brian was an innovator and somebody who endlessly put patient interests first to try and improve health care for everybody,” Witty said in the video obtained by CNN.

He described the circumstances of Thompson’s death as “profoundly shocking and disturbing.”

Witty told the employees that the company has heightened security measures at its facilities nationwide, including security checks before people enter campuses.

New video emerges of CEO shooting suspect

Friday 6 December 2024 20:15

Andrea Cavallier

The suspect in the CEO shooting was captured on video dumping something on a pile of trash minutes before the killing of Brian Thompson.

Police say there may be DNA on whatever he dumped that could help them learn his identity.

The man is seen walking on West 55th Street toward the Hilton at 6:19 a.m. on Wednesday, according to footage obtained by Newsweek.

He walks past the first pile of blue plastic bags near the Stage Star Deli at 105 West 55th Street and then pauses in front of a pile of white plastic bags. The video at the deli captures the man as he leans forward and places some small object on one of the bags and continues walking.

Thompson was gunned down outside the Hilton at 6:45 a.m.

Police have ‘reason to believe’ suspect in CEO killing left NYC

Friday 6 December 2024 20:13

Andrea Cavallier

Police say they have a “reason to believe” that the person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has left New York City, according to police commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Tisch told CNN on Friday that police released the photos of the suspect not wearing a mask on Thursday because they want a “wider audience to see the picture outside of New York City.”

New video shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter leaving subway station

Friday 6 December 2024 19:56

Andrea Cavallier

Do you know the suspect?

Friday 6 December 2024 19:45

Andrea Cavallier

Police are urging anyone with information about the shooter to send in tips.

Some of the tips that are being investigated have come in via TikTok.

One posted a TikTok video and sent it to the tip line proclaiming, “I think that’s the guy,” according to the police.

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Another tipster, Phil Watson, sent photos of a man he called a “dead ringer” for the suspect to the police, with arrows to point out facial resemblances, according to the New York Times.

“I think they are overwhelmed,” Watson wrote in an email to The Times.

Carlos Nieves, the department’s assistant commissioner of public information, says they have received hundreds of tips – but they want more.

Tips can be called into the tip line at 800-577-TIPS — or online.

Hostel where suspect stayed is cooperating with police

Friday 6 December 2024 19:20

Andrea Cavallier

Spokesperson Danielle Brumfitt said the hostel where the suspect stayed before the shooting is cooperating with the police and can’t comment on the investigation.

Police released photos Thursday, taken inside the HI New York City hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, of a person they said was wanted for questioning in the shooting.

Investigators believe the suspect used a fake New Jersey identification card when he checked in at the hostel, said one official who spoke with the AP.

Employees at the hostel said they remembered a man who almost always wore a mask when interacting with them.

That person wore a jacket that looked like the one worn by the man pictured in surveillance images released after the shooting, the official said.

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Meet the folk singer behind a viral song about Brian Thompson’s killing

Friday 6 December 2024 19:02

Andrea Cavallier

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 said.

Richard Hall reports:

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Hundreds of tips have come in since CEO’s murder

Friday 6 December 2024 18:08

Andrea Cavallier

The NYPD is looking into the hundreds of tips that have come in since Thompson was gunned down.

Carlos Nieves, the NYPD’s assistant commission of public information, said to keep them coming.

“You may think that piece of information is trivial. I’m telling you, please give us that information,” he said. “Trivial or not, it might be the piece of information that puts it all together for us.”

Nieves revealed to the New York Post that one tipster claims to have gone to school with the suspect.

“The guys in (CrimeStoppers) were actually saying, ‘We hang up the phone and another call comes in,” Nieves added. “One was actually coming in as I was speaking to them. It was actually a TikTok video and it says ‘I think this is the guy.’ So we have to look into that.”

Police believe suspect arrived in NYC on a bus – but is that how he left?

Friday 6 December 2024 16:50

Andrea Cavallier

The suspect reportedly arrived in New York City by bus on November 24, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

Surveillance footage at Port Authority Bus Terminal captured his bus arriving at 9 p.m.

The inbound bus came from Atlanta, but it’s unclear where the suspect got on board. He was reportedly spotted on the bus in Washington, D.C.

But did the suspect leave on a bus? Police are investigating. He has still not been caught.

Video shows suspect leaving park without backpack

Friday 6 December 2024 16:32

Andrea Cavallier

A law enforcement official told the New York Times that the man believed to be the shooter was captured on surveillance footage leaving Central Park without his backpack.

The suspect was spotted carrying the gray backpack when he opened fire on CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday morning. He was still wearing the bag when he fled on a bike and entered Central Park minutes after the shooting.

Police have been searching the park, but the backpack has not been found.

NYC mayor says ‘we are on the road to apprehending’ the CEO shooter

Friday 6 December 2024 16:02

Andrea Cavallier

New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke out about the latest in the search for the gunman who killed CEO Brian Thompson.

“We are on the right road to apprehending him,” Adams told PIX11 on Friday morning.

He also told NY1 this morning: “We’re on the right track. We’re going to bring this person to justice. This person was fully masked, and we used good old-fashioned police work to come up with the picture you have.”

DNA evidence from hostel being tested

Friday 6 December 2024 15:16

Andrea Cavallier

DNA evidence recovered from the hostel where the suspect stayed the night before the shooting has been taken to the lab at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for testing, a person briefed on the matter told the New York Times.

Major break in search for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer came from a flirty moment with hostel receptionis

Friday 6 December 2024 14:29

James Liddell

By lowering his mask and flashing a “flirtatious” smile to a hostel front desk clerk, the suspect in the fatal Brian Thompson shooting has given police their biggest break yet.

Clear surveillance images released by the New York Police Department on Thursday showed the “person of interest wanted for questioning” unmasked in Wednesday’s killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as the manhunt enters its third day.

Rhian Lubin has the story.

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When a medical insurance CEO was gunned down in the street, some people celebrated his death

Friday 6 December 2024 14:06

James Liddell

When the CEO of one of the largest medical insurance companies in the United States was gunned down on the streets of Manhattan on Wednesday, his death quickly turned into a larger conversation about the much-reviled industry in which he worked.

Brian Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, had been in New York City for a conference when he was killed in what police believe was a targeted shooting.

Among hundreds of posts on social media about the shocking murder, many people were moved to talk about the injustice of the health insurance industry. Often the dark jokes on X, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok spoke to how cruel medical insurance companies can be to their customers. Some even wrote folk songs about the event.

Read Richard Hall’s full analysis below.

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UnitedHealthcare removes leadership pages after CEO’s death

Friday 6 December 2024 13:44

James Liddell

UnitedHealthcare is believed to have removed a page listing its executives on the company’s about us page after its chief Brian Thompson was gunned down in the street on Wednesday.

The health insurer has appeared to pull down a page listing senior staff, in what is assumed to protect the identity of its personnel, according to a report by 404 Media.

Other major insurers, including Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and CareSource are believed to have also removed pages from their website, according to reports.

Flags fly at half-mast outside of UnitedHealthcare HQ

Friday 6 December 2024 13:23

James Liddell

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Everything we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO murdered in Manhattan

Friday 6 December 2024 13:02

James Liddell

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in what police called a “brazen targeted attack” in Manhattan early on Wednesday.

A massive manhunt is underway for the unidentified shooter, who fled the scene on a bike. Police searched a hostel in the Upper West Side where they believe the suspect was staying, CNN reported Thursday morning.

Katie Hawkinson and Madeline Sherratt detail everything we know so far about the fatal attack on the 50-year-old insurance CEO:

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Hostel worker asked suspect to pull down mask to ‘see his pretty smile’

Friday 6 December 2024 12:41

James Liddell

Brian Thompson’s killer was asked by a female hostel worker to pull his mask down to “see his pretty smile,” a high-ranking NYPD officer told CBS News.

The New York Times has identified the lodgings as the HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan, sources told the outlet. The suspect is said to have used a fake New Jersey identification book the room upon arriving on November 24, a senior law enforcement official told the newspaper.

It was at that hostel where the assailant was recorded on surveillance cameras revealing his face, after having a conversation and apparently flirting with the woman on the front desk.

Manhunt for New York CEO shooting suspect enters third day

Friday 6 December 2024 12:20

James Liddell

Hostel where suspect stayed ‘identified’: report

Friday 6 December 2024 11:50

James Liddell

The hostel where the suspect who shot dead Brian Thompson stayed has allegedly been identified, according to a report.

The New York Times has identified the lodgings as the HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan, sources told the outlet.

He is said to have used a fake New Jersey identification book the room upon arriving on November 24, a senior law enforcement official told the newspaper.

The suspect was then was said to have checked out of the hostel on November 29, before once again checking back in on November 30, where it is assumed he stayed until Thompson’s shooting.

The Independent has contacted the hostel for more details.

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

Friday 6 December 2024 11:24

James Liddell

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

With the gunman’s identity unknown and the motive still a mystery, authorities are trying to piece together the killer’s movements that morning – and where he went next.

James Liddell tracks the gunman’s latest movements.

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Timeline of Brian Thompson’s shooting and killer’s getaway

Friday 6 December 2024 10:50

James Liddell

The gunman who shot dead the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson at point blank range on Wednesday was filmed across Manhattan before and after the attack.

  • 5:00 a.m: Suspect recorded walking outside the Frederick Douglass Houses, a public housing project on the Upper West Side
  • 6:15 a.m: Gunman leaves the 57th Street F train stop before heading to Starbucks at West 56th Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. He buys water and two energy bars
  • 6:19 a.m: Suspect recorded walking west down 55th Street, a block away from the New York Hilton Midtown
  • 6:29 a.m: Assailant walks through parking lot at 54th Street
  • 6:44 a.m: Thompson is seen in video walking toward the Hilton
  • 6:46 a.m: Gunman shoots Brian Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown on 6th Avenue
  • 6:48 a.m: Suspect headed north on 6th Avenue towards Central Park on e-bike
  • 7 a.m: Assailant cycling out of the park on West 85th Street. He is not seen again and his identity is unknown
  • 7:12 a.m: Thompson was then rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital where he was pronounced dead

ICYMI: NYPD releases unmasked photo of smiling suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing

Friday 6 December 2024 10:26

James Liddell

Photographs showing the face of the suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan have been released as New York City cops continue to search for the identity of the alleged killer.

On Thursday, the NYPD shared two photographs of the killer, including one with the suspect flashing a smile.

“Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4.” the NYPD said in a statement.

James Liddell has the full story below.

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Gunman checked in and out of NYC hostel ‘multiple times’

Friday 6 December 2024 09:54

James Liddell

The assailant who shot the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, to death on Wednesday checked in and out of a Manhattan hostel mutilple times, police say.

After allegedly arriving in New York City by bus on November 24, the gunman checked into a hostel, a law enforcement source told CNN. He then was said to have checked out of the hostel on November 29.

He proceeded to check back into a hostel on November 30, according to the source. It is unclear if it was the same lodgings.

Suspect traveled to New York on a Greyhound bus, sources say

Friday 6 December 2024 09:30

James Liddell

The gunman who shot dead Brian Thompson at point blank range on Wednesday is said to have traveled to New York City by a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, a near 870 mile journey, sources say.

Surveillance footage shows the suspect getting off the bus in New York around 9 p.m. ET on November 24 – approximately 10 days before the killing, according to CNN. It is not clear at which stop the suspect got on the bus.

That day, he was seen walking through the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan, a law enforcement source told the outlet.

Greyhound is “fully cooperating with authorities on this active investigation,” a spokesperson said.

Mapped: Retracing gunman’s steps as he flees to Central Park after shooting

Friday 6 December 2024 09:08

James Liddell

New footage shows gunman leaving subway before Thompson shooting

Friday 6 December 2024 08:46

James Liddell

The suspected killer of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was captured in newly-released footage walking out of a midtown subway station, 30 minutes before the attack.

The footage, examined the Washington Post, allegedly shows the suspect leaving the 57th Street F train stop and walking along 6th Avenue at 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday. Thompson was shot dead at approximately 6:46 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown.

Watch the footage below:

Suspect pulled mask down in ‘flirtatious moment’ – and it may lead to his undoing

Friday 6 December 2024 08:26

James Liddell

An apparent “flirtatious moment” between the Brian Thompson shooting suspect and a female hostel employee led to the assailant revealing his face in security footage, according to a senior former NYPD officer.

On Thursday morning, police released photographs showing the face of the suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO a day prior at a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.

One of the photos, taken hostel on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, showed the suspect flashing a smile to a female worker.

The former Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller called the exchange a “flirtatious moment” – and it may lead to the gunman’s undoing, as police hone in on his identity.

“They were having a flirtatious moment and he pulls it down and he gives a big smile and that one informal moment between two human beings remains at this moment the most significant clue to date in this whole case,” Miller told CBS.

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What is the UnitedHealthcare business that was led by slain CEO Brian Thompson?

Friday 6 December 2024 06:07

Namita Singh

UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the United States, provides medical benefits to over 50 million Americans. Its plans cover routine healthcare needs and offer financial protection for those who fall ill or are injured.

In 2023, the company generated $281.4bn in revenue—nearly double that of its closest competitor—underscoring its leading position in an industry where Americans “routinely pay more for healthcare than people in any other country.”

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UnitedHealthcare is a key division of UnitedHealth Group, a $560bn global healthcare conglomerate. It operates alongside Optum, which manages pharmacy benefits, healthcare data analytics, and clinical practices.

Under Brian Thompson’s leadership, beginning in 2021, UnitedHealthcare expanded its domestic coverage significantly, increasing from 44 million to 49.3 million insured individuals. The unit’s profitability also soared, with earnings reaching $16.4bn in 2023—a 30 per cent increase from 2020. Its influence extends to over 150 countries worldwide.