{"id":28738,"date":"2024-12-06T08:48:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T13:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=28738"},"modified":"2024-12-06T08:48:40","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T13:48:40","slug":"nypd-release-photos-in-hunt-for-gunman-who-killed-health-insurance-boss-brian-thompson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/12\/06\/nypd-release-photos-in-hunt-for-gunman-who-killed-health-insurance-boss-brian-thompson\/","title":{"rendered":"NYPD release photos in hunt for gunman who killed health insurance boss Brian Thompson"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Police in New York have released two photos of an unmasked individual wanted for questioning over the killing of a healthcare chief executive.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, 50, was fatally shot in the back on Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The attacker fled the scene without taking any of Thompson&#8217;s belongings. Police believe the victim was targeted in a pre-planned killing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investigators are also using facial recognition technology and bullet casings with cryptic messages written on them to track down the suspect. They have yet to reveal a motive in the shooting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Here&#8217;s what we know about the suspect and the investigation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 id=\"How-did-the-shooting-and-escape-happen-\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">How did the shooting and escape happen?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The shooting took place at about 06:45 EST (11:45 GMT) in a busy part of Manhattan close to Times Square and Central Park. Thompson had been scheduled to speak at an investor conference later in the day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">According to police, the suspect &#8211; who was clad in a black face mask and light brown or cream-coloured jacket &#8211; appeared to be waiting for Thompson for five minutes outside the Hilton hotel where he was expected to speak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Thompson, who arrived on foot, was shot in the back and leg, and was pronounced dead about half an hour later at a local hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1x9m6ni-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cnv3dnm64vlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Story in full: Police hunt gun-wielding killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cvgpl2qn7l5o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Who was Brian Thompson, the healthcare CEO who was shot dead?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">New York Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny has revealed that the suspect&#8217;s weapon appeared to jam, but that he was able to quickly fix it and keep shooting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">CCTV footage appears to show the gunman had fitted a suppressor, also known as a silencer, to his pistol, BBC Verify has established.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">New York City Mayor Eric Adams &#8211; a veteran of the NYPD &#8211; told MSNBC that the use of a silencer was unprecedented in his career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I have never seen a silencer before,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That was really something shocking to us all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investigators reportedly believe the firearm is a BT Station Six 9, a weapon which is marketed as tracing its roots back to pistols used by Second World War-era Allied special operations forces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Police have reportedly visited gun stores in Connecticut to try to determine where the weapon was purchased.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After the shooting, video shows the suspect fleeing the scene on foot. Officials initially said the suspect used an electric Citi Bike owned by Lyft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But Lyft, which owns and operates Citi Bike, later said it had been told by the NYPD that one of its vehicles had not been used, according to the BBC&#8217;s US partner, CBS News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1b5y2ub-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ey0461q0\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-27db7h-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/1280\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/7a10\/live\/536a3880-b33a-11ef-a0f2-fd81ae5962f4.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Map of shooting\" width=\"1280\" height=\"1154\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 tabindex=\"-1\"><\/h2>\n<h2 id=\"The-investigation-\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">The investigation<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">So far, the investigation into Thompson&#8217;s killing has centred on a few clues that police are using to identify the suspect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Officials released two images of an unmasked man on Thursday that the NYPD said was &#8220;wanted for questioning&#8221; in connection with the murder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Law enforcement sources told CBS that the person is believed to have used a fake ID to check into a hostel in the area. The name used is fraudulent and is not believed to belong to an actual person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investigators believe the person of interest took a bus that originated in Atlanta, Georgia, to New York days before the shooting, CBS reports, citing a person briefed on the investigation. It&#8217;s unclear whether the person got on the bus at Atlanta or later during a stop.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It is unclear if he is the same person as the suspect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Earlier, police revealed the suspect was photographed at a nearby Starbucks just minutes before the shooting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While he is masked in the image, police sources told CBS that the mask is pulled down far enough so that his eyes and part of his nose can be seen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">With that, investigators are using facial recognition software to try to find a match.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investigators have so far not identified a motive in the killing, although police did note that the assailant fled without taking any of Thompson&#8217;s belongings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Additionally, police are testing three bullet casings and three live rounds found at the scene for DNA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The words &#8220;deny,&#8221; &#8220;defend&#8221; and &#8220;depose&#8221; were discovered on the casings, two law enforcement sources told CBS.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investigators believe this could be a reference to the &#8220;three D&#8217;s of insurance&#8221; &#8211; a known reference made by opponents of the industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The terms refer to tactics used by insurance companies to refuse payment claims by patients in America&#8217;s complicated and mostly privately run healthcare system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The words resemble &#8211; but are not exactly the same as \u2013 the title of a book called Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don&#8217;t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The book, published in 2010, was written by Jay Feinman, a legal scholar at Rutgers University in New Jersey. It&#8217;s billed as an expos\u00e9 of the insurance industry and a how-to guide for Americans on how to navigate the system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Professor Feinman declined to comment when the BBC contacted him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A mobile phone was discovered in an alley along the suspect&#8217;s escape route. Police say they are &#8220;working through&#8221; the phone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A coffee cup believed to have been discarded by the suspect has also been dusted for fingerprints and sent to an NYPD crime lab in the hopes that it may help reveal his identity or establish a chain of events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investigators also said they executed a search warrant at a location in Manhattan&#8217;s Upper West Side, which he was seen entering earlier in the day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The location is near the Frederick Douglas housing project, where police say surveillance video showed the suspect outside at approximately 05:00 the morning of the crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Police earlier said they would also search Thompson&#8217;s room at the nearby Marriott, which is down the street from where the incident took place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28740\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brian-Thompson-UnitedHealthcare.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28740\" src=\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brian-Thompson-UnitedHealthcare.jpg\" alt=\"Brian Thompson\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brian-Thompson-UnitedHealthcare.jpg 640w, https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Brian-Thompson-UnitedHealthcare-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson. (Image: UnitedHealth Group\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Thompson joined UnitedHealth, the biggest private insurer in the US, from accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2004.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He rose through the ranks and became CEO in 2021, leading the company through some very profitable years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1x9m6ni-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cvgpl2qn7l5o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Who was Brian Thompson?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In an interview with MSNBC, Thompson&#8217;s wife said that there had &#8220;been some threats&#8221; against him earlier, although she was unable to provide details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">According to police in Thompson&#8217;s hometown of Maple Grove, Minnesota, there had previously been one suspicious incident at his home in 2018.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The incident was cleared with no criminal activity detected. No additional details were provided.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c7ve36zg0e5o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Police in New York have released two photos of an unmasked individual wanted for questioning over the killing of a healthcare chief executive. UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, 50, was fatally shot in the back on <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/12\/06\/nypd-release-photos-in-hunt-for-gunman-who-killed-health-insurance-boss-brian-thompson\/\" title=\"NYPD release photos in hunt for gunman who killed health insurance boss Brian Thompson\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,3],"tags":[8464,300],"class_list":{"0":"post-28738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headline","8":"category-news","9":"category-usa","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-shooting","12":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28738"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28741,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28738\/revisions\/28741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}