An unidentified gunman approached UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson from behind and opened fire outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan on Wednesday morning, before disappearing into the streets of the Big Apple, sparking a massive manhunt. Ta.
Authorities have not revealed a motive, but shell casings were found at the scene with the words “denial,” “exile,” and “defense” written on them, a possible reference to the book.delay, deny, defend: Why insurance companies won't pay out and what you can do about it” – There was speculation that the killings were a result of resentment over having their claims rejected.
Thompson was separated from his wife, Pauline, at the time of his death, and the company's Minnesota-based parent company reported in September that it had laid off employees in several states. star tribune.
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson Murder: Latest News
This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was published via Businesswire when he was named chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare in 2017. (Business Wire)
A chronology of how things happened as the police follow the trail of the suspected assassin and search for the culprit.
United Healthcare CEO's murder: Investigators start small, focus on family, search for motive
A screenshot of surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows a person wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. are. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
Days before the attack, law enforcement officials told Fox News that the gunman took a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, Georgia, to New York City.
Before the murder, he used a fake ID, paid in cash and checked into a hostel near Central Park.
A key figure in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been caught on surveillance camera. (Gideon Pratt/Stage Star Deli)
Wednesday, December 4th
Around 6:14am: NYPD recovered surveillance video showing a masked suspect from a Midtown coffee shop before the attack, and surveillance video from outside the Stage Star Deli near the corner of 55th Street and 6th Avenue shows several Minutes later, the suspect was seen walking past multiple times.
The New York City Police Department released a still image of the United Healthcare CEO's assassination suspect inside a Starbucks near the scene of the incident. (New York City Police Department)
Around 6:40am: Surveillance camera video outside the hotel captured the ambush.
The scene showed a masked man waiting outside the venue, walking up behind Thompson as he approached from another hotel across the street, and shooting him in the leg, back and chest from behind. It is being shown.
Police arrived less than three minutes later, but the suspect had already fled. The NYPD said Thompson, a Minnesota native, was in New York for a work-related meeting when he was found unconscious and unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Surveillance images released by the New York City Police Department show the suspect in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
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The camera shows the killer's path away from the scene. He had dropped his cellphone in an alley between 54th and 55th Streets, where authorities were examining it for fingerprints and other clues. He went up Avenue of the Americas and rode his bike north toward Central Park. When he came out of the park, he was not wearing the backpack seen in earlier surveillance video.
Around 7am: The video shows a man believed to match the gunman's description riding a bicycle on the Upper West Side, on the other side of Central Park, more than 30 blocks from the crime scene. He is no longer wearing the backpack seen in previous surveillance video.
Police were searching the park for evidence Friday morning.
The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward in this case and is asking the public to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also submit a tip via their website. All calls are kept confidential.
Fox News' Alexis McAdams, Julia Bonavita and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
