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A manhunt is currently underway as the New York Police Department (NYPD) looks for the gunman who targeted and fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 4.
Thompson, 50, was in the city ahead of his company’s annual investor conference, which police say he was walking to alone when he was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel at around 6:45 a.m.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a press conference on Wednesday that the “brazen, targeted attack” was “premeditated,” and the shooter seemed to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire.
Though the attack appears to be targeted, the police have not identified the suspect, nor the motive of the shooting.
Here is what we know so far about the killing of Thompson.
Police share details about the shooting
According to the police press conference, the gunman was masked and arrived on foot at the scene of the crime about five minutes before the shooting took place, also stopping at a Starbucks nearby according to surveillance photos obtained by the authorities.
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Many people passed the gunman, dressed in a dark, hooded coat and a grey backpack, as he waited for Thompson to arrive.
Then, the suspect shot Thompson several times in the back and leg, as at least one witness stood nearby. After firing several times, the gun appeared to jam. The gunman seemed to clear the jam and continue shooting as he walked toward Thompson, according to police.
After being found at the scene by authorities, Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 7:12 a.m.
ABC News reported that bullet casings found at the scene were inscribed with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”
TIME reached out to the NYPD Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information who were unable to confirm or comment on the reports of writing on the bullet casings.
A manhunt is underway
Throughout Wednesday and continuing Thursday, the NYPD has been pursuing a manhunt for the gunman, utilizing their vast system of cameras, both public and private, that the police can scour to locate people
Tisch told reporters that the gunman fled first on foot into an alley a few blocks from the scene of the crime. There, the NYPD found a discarded cellphone, which they are working on identifying.
Eventually, he continued on foot then on a Citi Bike e-bike, and was last seen riding the bike into Central Park on Center Drive. There are GPS tracking devices on these e-bikes, says the NYPD, and they are working with Citi Bike to track the bike.
The NYPD shared a series of images of the suspect on Wednesday, in which the unidentified male’s face was partially covered. On Thursday morning, the NYPD released clearer images of “a person of interest wanted for questioning,” and once again appealed to the public for any information.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), the NYPD said: “Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premeditated [sic], targeted attack.”
They continued: “The full investigative efforts of the NYPD are continuing, and we are asking for the public’s help—if you have any information about this case, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). There is a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.”
These photos seem to have been taken at an Upper West Side hostel that law enforcement officials are now investigating, according to the New York Times.
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In an email to TIME, a spokesperson for the residence in question, the HI New York Hostel, said they are “fully cooperating with the NYPD,” but “as this is an active investigation, cannot comment at this time.”
Thompson’s family and workplace respond to his killing
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, is quoted as having provided a statement via her sister to CBS News on Wednesday.
"Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives. Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed,” she said. “We appreciate your well wishes and request complete privacy as our family moves through this difficult time.”
Paulette told NBC News that her husband had received threats previously.
“Yes, there had been some threats… I don’t know the details. I just know that he said some people had been threatening him.”
During the NYPD press conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters that Thompson did not seem to have any security.
“Speaking to other employees that traveled with him to New York, it doesn't seem like he had a security detail,” he said. “He left the hotel by himself, was walking, didn't seem like he had any issues at all.”
Meanwhile, the UnitedHealth Group reacted to the shooting in a statement released on Wednesday, sharing that they are working closely with the NYPD as investigations continue.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the company said. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
The shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson sparked a grim sense of inevitability among many online. The often harsh nature of the US healthcare system has been a long-standing topic of discussion, with mounting evidence that the country's approach to medical services is both financially and humanly costly. Health industry executives, including those from insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and hospitals, have become popular targets of public anger.
While the killing of any human being is morally repugnant, many wondered if the shooter was motivated by the injustices of American healthcare. On the same day as the shooting, news broke that another insurer would restrict coverage for anesthesia during surgeries, seemingly confirming public suspicions about the industry's practices. However, as Vox’s Eric Levitz reported, this policy was actually a cost-control measure aimed at reining in high payments to healthcare providers, not at increasing patient bills. Public outrage led the insurer to quickly reverse the policy.
### The Complex Reality of US Healthcare
This tragic episode highlights the core issues of the American healthcare system. The cruelties of the US medical system and the ongoing blame game among private industries have left patients angry and confused, seeking someone to blame. However, the problems are not the fault of one individual or industry; the finger-pointing is a distraction. Every party involved shares responsibility. The only way forward is to acknowledge this collective failure and work towards a more rational and just system.
### The Evolution of the Healthcare Blame Game
At the dawn of the modern American healthcare system, private industries were allies. Physicians, in particular, were fierce defenders of private insurance in the mid-20th century. The American Medical Association and its allies preferred private employer-sponsored insurance over government programs and lobbied against the latter. They tolerated the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 but opposed the Clinton health reform effort in the 1990s.
Everyone involved was invested in maintaining a free-market system. Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies could raise prices, and insurance plans could pass these increases to employers, whose health benefits were tax-free. Medicare and Medicaid limited their spending, but the private market allowed for profit increases. However, prices have continued to rise, driven by an aging population and costly medical advancements. Today, healthcare in the US is prohibitively expensive, even for the insured. Almost four in 10 Americans skip necessary medical care due to costs, and millions carry medical debts.
### Political Shifts and Industry Infighting
The passage of Obamacare over industry opposition was a sign that the private sector's political grip was loosening. The Obama White House successfully divided the industry, targeting insurers and hospitals for cuts while appeasing pharmaceutical companies. The Inflation Reduction Act allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices, lowering costs and capping seniors' out-of-pocket expenses—a policy unthinkable a generation earlier.
This political realignment has turned the insurer, pharma, and hospital industries against each other. Each sector blames the others for patients' frustrations:
- **Hospitals** blame drug companies and insurers for high prices and restricted benefits.
- **Drug companies** blame insurers, hospitals, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for high out-of-pocket costs and profit exploitation.
- **Insurers** blame hospitals and drug companies for high service and product costs, which patients bear through higher premiums.
- **Patients** blame everyone for high costs and system complexities.
This infighting leads to misguided outrage, as seen with the Anthem anesthesia policy, where doctors painted it as insurers cracking down on patients, while the plan aimed to lower overall costs.
### Collective Failure and the Path Forward
Health insurers have earned scorn for denying coverage and using AI to deny claims. Drugmakers exploit patent laws to maintain high prices. Hospitals and physicians are significant drivers of healthcare costs, with doctors facing administrative burdens. The healthcare industry's approval rating has fallen, with only 18% viewing the pharmaceutical industry favorably. Providers enjoy higher approval ratings, but public opinion of doctors and hospitals has been declining.
The failure of American healthcare is a collective one, resulting from a system pulled together haphazardly over decades. The public has contradictory desires, wanting both choice and guaranteed coverage. Progress has been made, with the uninsured rate at an all-time low and Medicare negotiating drug prices. However, much more work is needed.
The path forward requires looking at the system as a whole and making it economically viable while providing necessary care for all. The US must decide if it wants universal healthcare, as other developed countries have. No one person is to blame for the nation's healthcare problems, but better policies across all industries are needed to fix the deeply flawed system.
The gunman who killed the CEO of the largest U.S. health insurer likely left New York City on a bus soon after the brazen ambush that has shaken corporate America, police officials said Friday. But he left something behind a backpack that was discovered in Central Park.
Three days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still did not know the gunman’s name or whereabouts or have a motive for the killing, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. Investigators were looking at whether the shooter may have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurer, he said.
The FBI announced Friday night it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting showed him riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C, according to Kenny.
Police have video of the man entering the bus station but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city, Kenny said.
Investigators on Friday found a backpack in the park that had been worn by the gunman during the shooting, police said, following a massive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds, and woods.
Police didn’t immediately reveal what, if anything, it contained but said it would be analyzed for clues.
The gunman made sure to conceal his identity with a mask during almost all of his time in the city, including during the attack and while he ate, yet left a trail of evidence given the nation’s biggest city and its network of security cameras.
The gunman arrived in New York City on Nov. 24 and shot Thompson 10 days later outside his company’s annual investor conference at a hotel just blocks from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.
The gunman got off a bus that originated in Atlanta and made several stops along the way, Kenny said. Police have not determined where he got on the bus. Investigators have a list of passengers, but none of them would have had to provide an ID when they climbed aboard, Kenny said.
Investigators believe the suspect used a fake identification card and paid cash, Kenny said, when he checked in at the hostel, which has a café along with shared and private rooms and is blocks from Columbia University.
Investigators have tested a discarded water bottle and protein bar wrapper in a hunt for his DNA. They also were trying to obtain additional information from a cellphone found along the gunman’s escape route.
Photos of the suspected shooter that were taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side appear to be from the only time he removed his mask, Kenny said. The images, show a man smiling in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel. They are among a collection of photos and video circulated since the shooting — including footage of the attack, as well as images of the suspected gunman at a Starbucks beforehand.
“From every indication we have from witnesses, from the Starbucks, from the hostel, he kept his mask on at all times except for the one instance where we have him photographed with the mask off,” Kenny said.
His roommates at the hostel also said he didn’t speak to them. Nothing of investigative value was found in a search of the suspected shooter’s hotel room.
Asked how close he felt police were to making an arrest, Kenny said, “This isn’t ‘Blue Bloods.’ We’re not going to solve this in 60 minutes. We’re painstakingly going through every bit of evidence that we can come across. Eventually, when apprehension is made, we will have to present all of these facts to a judge and jury, so we’re taking our time, doing it right, and making sure we’re going to get justice for this victim and closure for his family.”
Security video of the shooting shows the killer approaching Thompson from behind, firing several shots with a gun equipped with a silencer, barely pausing to clear a jam while the executive fell to the sidewalk.
Police were looking into the possibility that the weapon was a veterinary pistol, which is a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches if an animal has to be euthanized quietly, Kenny said — though he stressed that hadn’t been confirmed.
The words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were scrawled on the ammunition, one word on each of three bullets, Kenny said. A law enforcement official previously told The Associated Press the words were “deny,” “defend” and “depose.” The messages mirror the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is commonly used by lawyers and critics about insurers that delay payments, deny claims, and defend their actions.
Thompson, a father of two sons who lived in a Minneapolis suburb, had been with Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.
The insurer’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting in New York for investors. The company abruptly ended the conference after Thompson’s death.
UnitedHealth Group said it was focused on supporting Thompson’s family, ensuring the safety of employees, and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring,” the company said.
UnitedHealthcare provides coverage for more than 49 million Americans. It manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.
In October, UnitedHealthcare was named along with Humana and CVS in a Senate report detailing how its denial rate for prior authorizations for some Medicare Advantage patients has surged in recent years.
The shooting has rocked the health insurance industry in particular, causing companies to reevaluate security plans and delete photos of executives from their websites. A different Minnesota-based healthcare company said Friday it was temporarily closing its offices out of an abundance of caution, telling employees to work from home.