Investigators are analyzing new key evidence in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The 50-year-old was gunned to death outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York, USA, on Wednesday morning (December 4) in what police described as a targeted attack. While the motive is unclear, Thompson’s wife revealed he had received threats.
Highlights
- CEO Brian Thompson received threats before his assassination, wife reveals.
- Suspect may have left messages by engraving words on bullets: 'deny,' 'depose,' 'defend'.
- Gunman cleared a jammed gun during a calculated attack outside Hilton Hotel.
- Investigators found a phone and water bottle that may help ID the suspect.
Trigger warning: murder – Police are investigating whether the suspect who fatally shot Thompson left a cryptic message by engraving words like “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” on bullets found at the scene.
At 6:44 a.m. local time, Thompson walked toward the New York Hilton Hotel after leaving his hotel across the street, New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Investigators are analyzing new key evidence in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Image credits: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
“The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” Kenny said, as per surveillance videos.
Law enforcement recovered three live nine-millimeter rounds and three discharged casings in front of the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue, where the Minnesotan victim was set to host an investors’ conference that morning, The New York Post reported on Thursday (December 5).
Sources said several of the pieces of evidence each contained one word, indicating the killer may have been trying to leave a message. Investigators are now reportedly trying to piece together a motive.
Image credits: Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images
After the calculated attack, the suspect reportedly fled on an e-bike toward Central Park, evading surveillance.
However, investigators believe the shooter made critical errors, including leaving behind potential evidence that could aid in identifying him.
Detectives believe a phone found in the alley the gunman ran through may have belonged to the shooter, CNN reported.
The 50-year-old was gunned to death outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York, USA, on December 4
Image credits: businesswire
Police also reportedly found a bottle of water that they think the gunman purchased just minutes before the shooting at a Starbucks around the corner.
Moreover, surveillance footage showed the masked suspect purchasing items at Starbucks, while the recovered phone and water bottle may provide DNA or other clues to his identity.
Police are still reportedly searching for the gun and bicycle used in the escape, though the phone, even if a burner, could yield valuable information about the suspect's activities.
Image credits: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted,” NYPD Chief Kenny said at a press conference. “But at this point, we do not know why. This does not appear to be a random act of violence.”
Thompson, a father of two, had reportedly received job-related threats before the killing, according to his wife, Paulette “Pauley” Thompson.
"There had been some threats," P. Thompson told NBC News on Wednesday. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."
Police described it as a targeted attack
Image credits: Christina Aguayo News
She added: “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.”
The grieving widow reportedly said police had told her it appeared the shooting was "a planned attack."
Detectives believe the suspect in the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO operated slowly, deliberately, and in a way that suggested he was an experienced marksman, according to police officials speaking to CNN.
Image credits: Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Firearms experts who have studied the surveillance video reportedly said it appeared that the gun malfunctioned with each shot.
According to experts, the gunman displayed trained precision in clearing a jammed firearm, likely indicating law enforcement or military experience.
The weapon, equipped with a silencer, may have malfunctioned due to improper modifications.
While the motive is unclear, Thompson’s wife revealed he had received threats
Image credits: Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Police are currently encouraging anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. Additionally, NYPD Crime Stoppers announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person.
At 6:17 a.m. on Wednesday, the offender was at a Starbucks on Sixth Avenue, Thompson’s hotel.
As per images released by the NYPD, the gunman was wearing a hooded jacket with his face mostly covered while carrying a backpack.
Image credits: Eyewitness News ABC7NY
The gunman subsequently “lay in wait” for several minutes, NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch reportedly said.
At 6:46 a.m., officers responded to a 911 call of a person shot, according to NYPD Chief Kenny. At 6:48 a.m., Thompson was reportedly found on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and leg.
Immediately after the shooting, the offender fled “northbound into an alleyway between 54th Street and 55th Street,” walked west on Avenue of the Americas, and eventually got onto an electric bike and rode toward Central Park, CNN reported.
The suspect potentially left a cryptic message by engraving words like “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” on bullets
Image credits: New York Post
Kenny said the bike had a GPS system and police are working on gathering more details from the company, as per the American broadcaster.
Thompson was left critically injured from gunshot wounds to the chest and leg. He was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, but it was already too late; he was pronounced dead moments later, Bored Panda previously reported.
Image credits: ABC News
The CEO was reportedly accused of insider trading and was the subject of an ongoing Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation.
According to legal documents, Thomspon had allegedly offloaded 31 percent of his UnitedHealth stock—totaling $15.1 million—just months before the public was made aware of a federal probe into the company.
At 6:44 a.m. local time, the gunman came up behind Thompson and shot him in the back
Image credits: ABC News
Stakeholders then complained against Thompson and other executives, accusing them of antitrust violations, Bored Panda previously reported.
The shooting comes at a time when the company is facing increasing scrutiny over its practices, with more than 33,000 pending lawsuits accusing the usurer of denying coverage to patients in need, particularly the elderly.
Thompson’s record led many to question whether he was assassinated to silence him for reasons connected with his legal troubles, and some have gone as far as to revel in his death, believing him to be responsible for the company’s malpractices.
Image credits: mcdermottphotos
Investigators were also reportedly probing the relationship between UnitedHealth’s insurance arm and its Optum health services division, which owns physician groups, over concerns that doctors might have been inflating patients’ illnesses to increase government payments, as per Bored Panda.
UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, was holding its annual investor conference Wednesday morning in New York City but abruptly ended it because of a "very serious medical situation" with a team member, NBC News reported.
The company reportedly said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened and shocked."
Police recovered three live nine-millimeter rounds and three discharged casings in front of the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue
Image credits: ABC News
"Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," the firm said. "Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him."
Thompson was a longtime leader in corporate America, a model student, and a star high school athlete, according to CNN.
He was appointed chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 and had been at the company since 2004.
Image credits: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Thompson described her husband’s death as “senseless” in a statement obtained by CNN. She said: “We are shattered to hear about the senseless killing of our beloved Brian.
“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives.
“Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed.
“We appreciate your well wishes and request complete privacy as our family moves through this difficult time.”
"They are never going to find the guy," a reader speculated
