Who is Brian Thompson’s smiling assassin? Everything we know about the UnitedHealthcare gunman
The cold-blooded murder of the CEO of America’s largest health insurer in downtown Manhattan sent shockwaves through the controversial industry and made headlines around the world.
Questions have been asked about how the masked gunman who killed Brian Thompson, 50, outside the Hilton Hotel early Wednesday morning seemed to disappear into thin air, despite the Big Apple’s widespread surveillance systems.
During a frantic manhunt, the NYPD attempted to track the killer from the Midtown hotel to a bicycle on which he is believed to have fled.
Now police have released new images showing the alleged killer smiling on surveillance footage.
Police are offering a $10,000 reward in hopes of helping the public find Thompson’s killer as the search enters its second day.
Late Wednesday, detectives revealed their first hint at a motive, saying the killer left behind bullet casings labeled “deny,” “defend” and “impeach” — which many linked to a 2010 book by author Jay M. Feinman about the cruelty of the health insurance industry.
The widow of the father-of-two, Paulette, said her husband had received threats in the lead-up to the shooting, but Thompson still chose to travel to New York to chair his company’s investor conference.
He would announce the company’s hugely profitable financial outlook for 2025, including projected revenues of more than $450 billion.
The NYPD released this grinning snapshot of the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson
Amid shock over the “brazen, targeted” attack, an insensitive online minority appeared to cheer the CEO’s death, but was quickly met with a swift backlash.
Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at everything we know about the shooter. The manhunt for the killer continues.
What we know about the shooter
The identity of the killer was still unknown on Thursday morning, but police released images showing his face.
To do so, they showed grainy photos taken at a Starbucks before the “brazen, targeted” shooting.
They showed a white man wearing a cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a gray backpack.
Police searched a hostel in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood where they said the suspect was staying.
Sources told CNN on Thursday morning that detectives had obtained a search warrant for a property in the city, with the gun used in the killing purchased at a store in Connecticut.
The suspect opened fire on Thompson from behind as the CEO was on his way to the New York Midtown Hilton hotel
The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information about the shooter.
A former FBI chief told DailyMail.com that while the suspect was “competent,” it was unlikely he was a professional assassin given the way he carried out the attack.
Investigators searching for a motive found bullets from the scene with the words “depose,” “deny” and “dedefen” engraved on them.
The messages bear a resemblance to the title of a 2010 book on ‘why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it’ called ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’ by Jay M Feinman.
How the shooting happened
Thompson was scheduled to speak at the UnitedHealthcare investor conference in the Hilton ballroom.
He was not a guest at the hotel, but left early to prepare his presentation.
The killer appeared to know which direction he was coming from and was reportedly seen hanging out near the Hilton prior to the attack.
As he walked toward the hotel’s West 54th Street entrance around 6:45 a.m., the killer approached him from behind.
The killer emerged from behind Thompson and shot him in the back from about twenty feet with a firearm fitted with a silencer
The first shot Thompson in the back, causing him to fall into a doorway while the killer fired several more bullets that hit him in the leg.
The masked gunman used a silencer in the shooting and was seen on surveillance footage fleeing across the street.
He disappeared through a paved seating area to West 55th Street, where police said he found him jumped on a bicycle and rode towards Central Park, where he then disappeared.
Emergency responders performed CPR on Thompson and transported him to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead.
What we know about the victim
Thompson is a married father of two who lives in a $1.5 million home in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
However, he and his wife Paulette Thompson, a physical therapist, have divorced.
He became CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 and reportedly earned $10 million per year.
He has been with the company for 20 years and previously served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s government programs division.
UnitedHealthcare employs nearly 140,000 people worldwide. Under Thompson’s tenure, the company has seen a sharp increase in profits.
Under Thompson’s watch, however, the case has drawn criticism from the Justice Department New York Times reports.
Thompson owned about $20 million in UnitedHealth Group stock at the end of September, according to the documents.
Thompson is a married father of two who lived in Maple Grove, Minneapolis
In April, he was one of several executives who sold shares before the DOJ investigation was announced, Bloomberg reported.
UnitedHealthcare was cited in a scathing Senate report that cited a rising rate of denials in post-acute care. The number of refusals has increased from 10.9 percent in 2020 to 22.7 percent in 2022.
Before joining the firm, Thompson was a certified public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP after earning an accounting degree from the University of Iowa.
Prior to his murder, according to Paulette Thompson, he had received threats citing a “lack of reporting.”
Response and tribute
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was among those who expressed condolences over Thompson’s death.
“This is horrific news and a terrible loss for Minnesota businesses and health care,” Walz, who recently ran for vice president on Kamala Harris’ ticket, wrote on X.
“Minnesota sends our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar also wrote a tribute to Thompson on X, writing: “This is a horrific and shocking act of violence. My thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Brian Thompson and everyone who works at United Healthcare in Minnesota.”
With the suspect at large, the NYPD has released several sets of photos of the shooter, including new photos of him standing at a counter with his face largely hidden by a balaclava.
The suspect was described by authorities as a white male wearing a gray backpack, wearing all black
UnitedHealth Group said the company was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the news of Thompson’s death.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
“Our thoughts go out to Brian’s family and everyone who was close to him,” the company said.
But among the tributes were also some that celebrated the CEO’s death