By Rich McKay and Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York City police were searching on Thursday for the man who killed UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson in a brazen attack outside a midtown Manhattan hotel before fleeing to Central Park.
Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was shot in the back Wednesday morning in what police described as a targeted attack by a masked assailant lying in wait. It came just before the company's annual investor conference at the Hilton on Sixth Avenue.
The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were etched on the shell casings found at the scene, law enforcement sources told ABC and the New York Post. Reuters has not independently verified that information.
The words evoke the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010 titled “Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.” The author, Jay Feinman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers University School of Law, wrote, “Sorry, no comment” in an email when contacted by Reuters.
Authorities released a new photo with a clear view of the suspect's face on Thursday, a day after posting photos showing his face partially obscured by a ski mask, and asked the public for help in identifying and locating him. Police also searched a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side where the suspect was believed to be staying, CNN reported.
Investigators were still looking for a motive, police officials said at a news conference Wednesday.
“Everything indicates that this was a premeditated, planned and targeted attack,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters Wednesday.
Security video showed the shooter behind Thompson, 50, raising his gun and shooting into his back. Police said the gunman arrived at the hotel several minutes before Thompson and waited for him to pass before shooting, ignoring other bystanders.
The suspect, who was wearing a hoodie, a balaclava and a gray backpack, fled on foot before hopping on an electric bicycle and entering Central Park, police said.
Police released a series of images of the suspect taken from video cameras in the area, including one with the gun raised and pointed at Thompson and another of the suspect fleeing on a bicycle.
The city has a vast network of cameras, largely built after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, that police can use to track the movements of suspects.
The murder took place on the morning of the city's annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, a few blocks away. The event took place as planned under tight security measures.
UnitedHealth is the largest health insurer in the U.S., providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for health care than people in any other country. Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:), since April 2021.
The company has been dealing with the fallout from a massive data hack of its Change Healthcare (NASDAQ:) unit that provides technology to U.S. healthcare providers, disrupting medical care to patients and reimbursement to doctors. for months.
Thompson had worked at UnitedHealth since 2004 in various divisions, according to a biography later removed from the company's website.
“Our hearts go out to Brian's family and everyone who was close to him,” the company said in a statement.
In a video sent to employees Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty announced Thompson's death and called him “a truly extraordinary person.” At its headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, the company lowered campus flags to half-mast, a spokesperson told Reuters.
Thompson's wife, Paulette, told NBC News on Wednesday that she had been receiving some threats related to her work, but said she did not know the details.
“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous and talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” she later said in a statement. “Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two children and he will be greatly missed.”
In Maple Grove, Minnesota, where Thompson lived, police administrator Theresa Keehn told Reuters there were no reports of threats against Thompson, but there was an incident of “suspicious activity” at his home in June 2018.
Paulette Thompson was getting ready for bed when she reported seeing the lock on the front door, according to the police report. She hid in the bathroom “terrified,” but police found no signs of an attempted robbery or anyone on the property.
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