New photos show alleged CEO killer's smile; NYPD search NYC hostels: sources
NEW YORK CITY - The NYPD released new images of a person of interest in the ambush-style killing of the CEO of one of the largest health care companies in the world.
The person in the photos, who is wearing a gray hood and grinning, is wanted for questioning in connection with the stalking and shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a New York City hotel Wednesday.
The hunt for the suspect brought the NYPD to at least two hostels on the Upper West Side Thursday morning, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told the Associated Press.
Police were following a tip that the suspect may have stayed at one of the residences. According to an employee of Kama Central Park, two detectives arrived at the hostel at 7 a.m. Thursday with a photo of the shooter and asked staff if they recognized the man. They did not, the employee said, and the detectives left soon after. An employee at the nearby HI New York City hostel also confirmed that police had visited the location Thursday, but declined to provide further information.
Bullet casing messages
New evidence also suggests that the gunman may have left a message behind on the bullet casings at the scene.
JUMP TO: TIMELINE OF EVENTS l WHO IS BRIAN THOMPSON? l WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GUNMAN
According to Associated Press sources, the words "deny," "depose" and "defend" were written on the live rounds and casings left behind by the assassin after the shooting. One source also told FOX 5 NY the markings were "bizarre and scary."
MORE: Possible meaning behind CEO killer’s apparent message
Evidence also shows that each bullet and casing had just one word written on it, leading them to believe he may have been trying to leave a message, sources said. The words on the ammunition may have been a reference to strategies insurance companies use to try to avoid paying claims, the AP reported.
No suspects have been named, but law enforcement sources confirm with FOX 5 NY that they have received a number of tips, and in one of those tips, there is a name police are looking at. Police may now be going to a hostel in the city where they think the suspect is.
Officers give chest compressions after Thompson was shot
Timeline of events
On Wednesday, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny shared a timeline of events that led to the fatal shooting of Thompson:
- Undetermined time: Police say the gunman arrived outside the Hilton Hotel approximately five minutes before Thompson and stood alongside the building line.
- 6:44 a.m.: Thompson exits his hotel, crosses the street to the Hilton Hotel and is seen walking alone on the sidewalk outside the building. Police believe Thompson was planning to attend the UnitedHealth Group Investors Conference happening at the hotel later that morning.
- Undetermined time: The gunman steps onto the sidewalk from behind a car and approaches Thompson, shooting him in the back. The gunman continued walking toward Thompson while shooting when police say the firearm appeared to have malfunctioned. The man clears the jam, fires again and flees on foot into a nearby alleyway between 54th Street and West 55th Street.
- 6:46 a.m.: Police responded to a 911 call reporting that someone had been shot in front of the Hilton Hotel located on 6th Avenue between 53rd and 54th streets.
- Undetermined time: Once on West 55th Street, the gunman continues to walk westbound on 6th Avenue and gets onto a bike. He continues riding northbound toward Central Park.
- 6:48 a.m.: Police say the gunman was seen riding the bike into Central Park at Center Drive.
- 6:48 a.m.: Officers arrived at the scene and found Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. EMS personnel transported Thompson to the hospital.
- 7:12 a.m.: Thompson was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital.
Who is Brian Thompson?
Thompson was named chief executive officer for UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, according to UnitedHealthcare’s website. He lived in Minnesota, where the company is based.
Before that, he was CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s government programs business, including Medicare & Retirement and Community & State. He’d worked at UnitedHealth Group since 2004 and served in multiple leadership roles.
Featured
Who is Brian Thompson? UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in targeted attack
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed outside a midtown Manhattan hotel Wednesday morning. Here's what we know so far.
Before he joined UnitedHealth Group, Thompson was a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He was valedictorian of his class at the University of Iowa, according to Thompson's LinkedIn profile.
In a statement, his wife, Paulette Thompson, said that he had received threats recently, FOX 9 reports.
"There had been some threats," she told NBC News when reached for comment. "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."
Thompson was in town for UnitedHealthcare’s 2024 investor conference. The conference, which was taking place at the hotel where Thompson was shot, was canceled.
What we know about the gunman
The NYPD at Wednesday's press conference called this a "brazen, targeted attack," with the suspect waiting for their intended target in this "premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."
"It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes and as the victim was walking to the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
One video showed him approaching Thompson from behind, leveling his pistol and firing several shots, barely pausing to clear a brief gun jam. Other security cameras captured the initial stages of the gunman's escape.
The suspect, who was wearing a backpack, is described as a 6' tall man with a slim build. He was last seen wearing a cream-colored jacket with black gloves and a black mask.
Suspect photos. (NYPD)
Tisch said many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target.
Following the shooting, the suspect walked between two vehicles, got onto a bike then disappeared into Central Park, the NYPD said.
It was previously reported that the suspect used a Citibike – which can be tracked – but the NYPD has clarified that the incident did not involve that type of bike.
The suspected gunman in the killing of Brian Thompson.
Although police have said it was a targeted attack, they have not yet released a motive.
No suspects have been named, but law enforcement sources confirm with FOX 5 NY that they have received a number of tips, and in one of those tips, there is a name police are looking at.
Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.