What we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO's fatal shooting outside NYC hotel - sh.itjust.works
> Authorities believe the person of interest in the fatal shooting of
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel may have
left New York City through a busy bus terminal, a police official said Friday. >
> New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters
Friday that video shows the man riding a bike in Central Park, then taking a
taxi to the Port Authority bus station close to the George Washington Bridge. >
> Investigators are looking for additional video to see if he took a bus from
there, and if so which one. > > “It’s a very busy bus terminal,” Kenny told CNN
Friday. “We want to make sure we have the right bus, but we’re working through
that right now. It’s all new information.” > > Investigators have also located a
water bottle that may have been discarded by the shooter and collected shell
casings with cryptic words on them. On Thursday, the New York Police Department
released photos of the person they believe is the gunman. But the shooter’s
identity, whereabouts and motive remain a mystery. > > Amid the manhunt Friday
night, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest
of gunman — on top of the combined $10,000 already offered by Crime Stoppers and
the NYPD. > > Here’s everything we know about the Wednesday morning shooting. >
> # Gunman was ‘lying in wait for several minutes’ > > Thompson, dressed in a
suit, was on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference around
6:45 a.m. Wednesday when a gunman approached him from behind and shot him at
least once in the back and at least once in the right calf outside of the New
York Hilton Midtown hotel. > > Security video showed Thompson stumbling forward
after the first shot as a person standing nearby ran to safety. The shooter,
walking toward Thompson, cleared a jam in the gun before continuing to fire, the
video showed. Thompson fell, and the shooter fled on foot before mounting an
electric bike. > > It is believed he used a firearm with a silencer, a person
familiar with the matter told CNBC. > > Thompson, 50, was pronounced dead at
Mount Sinai West. > >“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait
for his intended target,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said
Wednesday. > > The shooter was “lying in wait for several minutes,” she said,
calling it a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack.” > > Police place bullet
casing markers outside of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan where United
Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Dec. 4.
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> > Kenny said the gunman arrived at the scene about five minutes before the
shooting. > > Police said the gunman was wearing a black hoodie and black pants
and carrying a gray backpack. Investigators found a gray bag in Central Park and
are looking into whether it may have been the one carried by the suspected
shooter, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News. > > The bag will
likely be taken unopened to a lab to see if it is linked and whether anything
inside can help lead to a suspect, the officials said. > > # Thompson received
threats before his death, wife says > > Paulette Thompson told NBC News on
Wednesday that her husband had been receiving threats but she was unclear of
their nature. > > “There had been some threats,” she said. “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 in Thompson’s
hometown of Maple Grove, Minnesota, said they had not been notified of threats
against him, Commander Jonathan Wetternach said Wednesday. > > Despite the
threats, Thompson did not travel with security. > > “Speaking to other employees
that traveled with him to New York, it doesn’t seem like he had a security
detail,” Kenny told reporters. “He left the hotel by himself, was walking,
didn’t seem like he had any issues at all.” > >No current or former executives
of UnitedHealth Group receive regular company-funded personal security service,
according to the insurance giant’s two most recent proxy statements. Companies
have to report security expenses for corporate officers or directors if the
value exceeds $10,000 per year. > > Former FBI supervisor Rob D’Amico said he
believes Thompson’s death has all the makings of a personal vendetta tied to his
company. > > Brian Thompson was named chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in
April 2021.
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> > Thompson’s family said they 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,” the
family said in a statement obtained by NBC affiliate KARE of Minneapolis. > > #
‘Deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ written on ammunition > > Shell casings found at
the scene had the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” written on them, a senior
New York City law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said
Thursday. > > It’s not yet known if the messages could indicate a motive. > >
“Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was
specifically targeted,” Kenny, the NYPD Chief of Detectives, said earlier this
week. “But at this point, we do not know why.” > > Police also recovered a
cellphone near the scene. > > Video: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting: Police
release photos of suspect
[https://www.today.com/video/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-police-release-photos-of-suspect-226368581629]
> > # Who is the shooter? > > The gunman remains at large, but investigators
have been able to gather some information about him. > > Police believe he may
have traveled to New York City last month by Greyhound bus, three senior law
enforcement officials familiar with the case told NBC News. The bus left from
Atlanta. > > Officials in New York are looking into whether they can find a name
used for the Nov. 24 trip. Greyhound has said it is cooperating with authorities
on the investigation. Atlanta police officials said Friday they were contacted
by the NYPD and will provide assistance as needed. > > While in New York, the
shooter stayed at a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Police are
looking into whether the gunman paid in cash and used a fake ID to rent a room,
according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation. > >
Police were able to obtain an unmasked picture of the gunman smiling while at
the hostel. > > An image released by the New York Police Department shows a
person of interest sought for questioning in connection with the shooting of
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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> > Footage was released that may show the gunman exiting a subway station about
half an hour before the shooting. Investigators also learned that he visited a
Starbucks before the shooting and purchased a water bottle and two protein bars,
according to a senior New York City law enforcement official. > > Detectives
recovered a video showing where he discarded the items, and police collected
them as evidence, hoping they could aid in the investigation, the official said.
