A clue on bullet casings? Updates on manhunt for gunman who killed UnitedHealthc

05 December 2024

Police in New York City continued searching Thursday for the person who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a "targeted attack" outside the hotel where the company was hosting an investor conference.

The 50-year-old executive was shot Wednesday morning by a masked gunman who waited several minutes for Thompson to approach the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan, according to the New York Police Department.

Surveillance video shows the moment the shooter stepped behind Thompson and fired into his back. As Thompson fell to the ground, a woman a few feet from him ran away as the shooter appeared to clear a jam in the gun before firing more rounds at Thompson, video shows.

NYPD officials said they were still working to identify and locate the shooter, who was last seen riding an e-bike into Central Park. In an alley near the Hilton hotel, investigators discovered a cellphone they will analyze forensically, as well as three shell casings.

Thompson, who arrived in New York from Minnesota on Monday to attend the conference, was the highest-ranking executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest insurance providers in the nation.

Here's what we know so far about the shooting, the investigation and threats against Thompson:

Reports: Police identify writing on the shell casings
Investigators discovered writing on the shell casings discovered at the scene of the fatal shooting, The New York Times, NBC News and other outlets reported, citing police sources with knowledge on the investigation.

The words discovered written on the shell casings were “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” sources told NBC.

In addition to the shells, police discovered a water bottle and a candy wrapper in the area where the shooter was waiting for Thompson, ABC reported, adding that the evidence, as well as the cellphone, are believed to be linked to the shooter.

Images posted by the New York City Police Department on their offical X account (@NYPDnews) of the suspect sought in connection to the fatal shooting of Unitedhealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
Shooter last seen riding e-bike into Central Park
After the gunman shot Thompson, police say he hid in an alleyway before boarding an e-bike and riding into Central Park, where he was last seen.

Police released several images of the shooter in which the gunman can be seen wearing a dark-colored jacket with a hood over his head, a black facemask, black-and-white sneakers and a distinctive gray backpack.

The NYPD has announced up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.

Thompson had received threats, wife says
Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News her husband had been the target of threats, but she didn't know their nature or from whom.

"I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details," she told the news outlet. "I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."

Additionally, UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, was aware of concerning threats against its executives, CNN reported, citing a source with knowledge of the investigation.

The company said it had no further comment in response to questions about threats allegedly made against UnitedHealth Group executives.

Thompson lived in Maple Grove, Minnesota, about 15 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The police departments in both cities said they didn't have any records of threats against him.

Who was Brian Thompson?
Thompson started at UnitedHealth Group in 2004, and over the next two decades climbed up the ranks, working in several departments before taking up his most recent role overseeing its health insurance unit.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company described Thompson as "a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him."

He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a Bachelor's in business administration and accounting, according to his LinkedIn.

Thompson is survived by his two sons and wife, Paulette Thompson, a physical therapist of over 20 years who graduated from the same college as her husband, according to her workplace bio.

Mike Tuffin, president and CEO of AHIP, a commercial health insurance trade association, said in a statement he was "Heartbroken and horrified by the loss of my friend Brian Thompson."

"He was a devoted father, a good friend to many and a refreshingly candid colleague and leader," Tuffin said. "All of us at AHIP are thinking of Brian’s family and his UnitedHealth Group colleagues at this difficult time.”

Thompson accused of fraud in pension fund's lawsuit
Earlier this year, Thompson and several other UnitedHealth Group executives were sued by a pension fund in Hollywood, Florida, that accused them of selling millions of dollars in company stock before news of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation sank the company's stock.

In February 2022, the DOJ challenged UnitedHealth’s acquisition of Change Healthcare, a technology company that provides a highly used payment processing system. Months later, a judge permitted the transaction.

Two years later, in February, the Wall Street Journal reported the DOJ had reopened its antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth, plummeting the company's stock.

In a lawsuit, the City of Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund alleged that "UnitedHealth was aware of the DOJ investigation since at least October 2023 ... Instead of disclosing this material investigation to investors or the public, UnitedHealth insiders sold more than $120 million of their personally held UnitedHealth shares."

Thompson, according to the lawsuit, sold over $15 million of his UnitedHealth shares. The lawsuit remains active in Minnesota.

https://www.expatriates.com/cls/58014982.html?1733354583
https://intuithelpcus.alboompro.com/post/search-for-shooter-underway-after-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-killed-in-new-york?post_editing=true
https://purplish-whale-mtpz72.mystrikingly.com/blog/search-for-shooter-underway-after-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-killed
https://forojoven.ugt.es/photos/images-7
https://knowledge4africa.uneca.org/photos/images-3
https://network.propertyweek.com/photos/images-8
https://zagspace.gonzaga.edu/photos/images-9
https://sloan.ucr.edu/photos/images-6
https://pastelink.net/wep0nptt

Last month, the Department of Justice filed suit on antitrust grounds to prevent UnitedHealth from acquiring the home care and hospice provider Amedisys. UnitedHealth also has been confronting the aftermath of a huge data hack of its Change Healthcare payment processing unit in February, a cyberattack that disrupted medical care for patients and reimbursement to doctors for months.

Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz, Nick Penzenstadler and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY; Reuters