[New York Police are searching for a gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in what they have described as a bold and deliberate daytime attack in the heart of New York City.
The masked gunman was “lying in wait” outside the Hilton Midtown shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, as Thompson made his way to the hotel to attend his company’s annual investor conference.
When Thompson approached the building, a dark-hooded figure with a gray backpack appeared several feet behind the executive and shot him in the back, surveillance video obtained by CNN shows.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, though police have described it as a “premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack” at West 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
The words “delay” and “depose” were found on a live round and a shell casing tied to the shooter, law enforcement sources told CNN on Thursday. “Depose” was written on a shell casing from a round that was fired into the victim, while “delay” was written on a live round that was ejected when the shooter appeared to be clearing a jam.
Police believe that the shooter is a “light-skinned male” who was last seen wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a very distinctive gray backpack. They are offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
The shooting was a “brazen, targeted attack,” said NYPD commissioner Tisch, describing the gunman as having waited for several minutes, stepping onto the sidewalk from behind a car and aiming at Thompson despite being in full view of other people and cars that passed by.
Thompson’s widow said that their family is “shattered” by 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,” Paulette Thompson told CNN Wednesday.
The 50-year-old CEO was appointed chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 and had been at the company since 2004. Prior to being named chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson worked as CEO of the company’s government programs business, which includes its Medicare and retirement businesses.
Thompson was also sued in May for alleged fraud and illegal insider trading. The Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, CEO Andrew Witty, Executive Chairman Stephen Hemsley, and Thompson, alleging the executives schemed to inflate the company’s stock by failing to disclose a US Justice Department antitrust investigation into the company.
The New York Police Department is investigating the shooting and has collected evidence from the scene, including a phone and water bottle that may have been dropped by the suspect while fleeing.
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