NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown.

[acutename]

I'd like to know how the CEO got to that location - was he dropped off in a car or taxi? Did he walk from where he was staying? Was he staying at the Hilton but stepped outside in the morning, or did someone notify him to step outside?

The shooter knew he would be on the sidewalk this morning.

jmo

Edited to clarify I meant the CEO

Or has been following him around waiting for an opportunity..

 

[Inthedetails]

Presser Notes:

Appears to be a brazen targeted attack. Does not appear to be random act of violence.

Suspect laying in wait for several minutes. As victim was walking to conference hotel suspect approached from behind striking suspect in back and calf. Appeared to wait for intended target. Fled on foot then on e-bike. Last seen in Central Park.

Repeating: Premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.

6:46 call came in for person shot at Hilton hotel

6:48 officers arrive and find victim with gunshot wounds to back and leg.

pronounced 7:12.

Shooter arrived 5 minutes prior to victim's arrival. Stands along building line as pedestrians pass by.

Shooter appears to be light skinned male. Very distinctive gray backpack.

Shooter hits victim in back, approaches victim and continues to shoot. Gun jams. Clears jam and fires again.

6:48 Rides bike into Central Park.

3 live rounds at scene. 3 discharged

Reporter question about a cell phone being found in the alley this guy fled. Law enforcement is currently going through that phone.

Excellent - thanks for transcribing.

Spooky to think he rode into Central Park with people enjoying the morning there. The park starts at 59th Street, so not far from the crime scene. I hope someone spotted him in the park (?!) and can give direction where he was headed. There are few cameras in the park, imo, so he could essentially "disappear" and walk or ride out anywhere without notice.

That tells me he might be local or provided local info. Or he's a super researcher, which is also on the table, imo.

jmo

 

[STLBlues]

Shooter hits victim in back, approaches victim and continues to shoot. Gun jams. Clears jam and fires again.

RS&BBM so, that tells me the shooter has some knowledge of the gun used since they knew how to clear the jam.

 

[sds71]

Tony Aiello
@AielloTV


NYPD: Thompson was walking alone to New York Hilton Midtown, was not with executive security team. Gunman used 9mm hadgun, sources say equipped with suppressor (silencer).


Ben Feuerherd
@benfeuerherd

The gunman rode a Citi Bike, the popular ride-share program in NYC. Those bikes are equipped with GPS, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny says. They'll be working with the company to track it.

 

[Elley Mae]

Mr Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, said that he had been receiving threats.

"There had been some threats," she said in a phone call to Sky's US partner network, NBC News. "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."

Brian Thompson: New York police hunt gunman who shot dead healthcare executive outside hotel in 'brazen targeted attack'

The mayor of New York said the shooting of Brian Thompson was "a targeted murder". The victim's wife added that he had received threats recently.

news.sky.com

 

[Elley Mae]

The backpack is unusual to me.

 

[MrsWatson]

United Healthcare's disturbing record of rejecting claims

UnitedHealthcare's disturbing track record of rejecting claims has come under the microscope after the insurance giant's CEO was shot dead in a targeted attack in the heart of Manhattan.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Possible motive?

UnitedHealthcare was being probed by the Department of Justice for alleged antitrust violations, while its parent company, UnitedHealthcare Group (UHG), has come under fire from angry patients who claim the insurer refused to cover their care.

UHG is the nation's largest health insurance conglomerate. The company expected to bring in revenues of $450 billion in 2025, with Thompson believed to earn a salary in the region of $10million a year.

In July, more than 150 protesters from the People's Action Institute campaign group gathered outside UHG's headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, in what became a fiery demonstration.

 

[arielilane]

@BrianEntin

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect surveillance photo. Police say he was last spotted in Central Park in NYC.They say the indication is it was a preplanned attack, but they don’t know the motive.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1864354975469416602

The suspect had been waiting for Thompson to arrive at the hotel for an investors meeting.

https://pix11.com/news/crime/man-critically-injured-in-midtown-shooting-nypd/

 

[Sunshynn]

About UHC & our mission

UnitedHealthcare is an operating division of UnitedHealth Group, the largest single health carrier in the United States.

www.uhc.com

An article I read said that police were looking to former disgruntled employees so I started researching who was CEO before Thompson (not that I think that person has anything to do with this) and it led me to the UHC website.
I do have to give kudos to whomever runs the UHC site because the 'Meet Our Executive Leadership' page leads you to somewhere else, I'm assuming to protect the identity of others...or it could have been a broken link for a while.

 

[acutename]

About UHC & our mission

UnitedHealthcare is an operating division of UnitedHealth Group, the largest single health carrier in the United States.

www.uhc.com

An article I read said that police were looking to former disgruntled employees so I started researching who was CEO before Thompson (not that I think that person has anything to do with this) and it led me to the UHC website.
I do have to give kudos to whomever runs the UHC site because the 'Meet Our Executive Leadership' page leads you to somewhere else, I'm assuming to protect the identity of others...or it could have been a broken link for a while.

there must have been some folks NOT made CEO in 2021, but assassination is extreme IMO

 

[bestill]

The backpack is unusual to me.

Thinking there's a change of clothing in there, he could add a heavy coat and walk out looking totally different. Bet the gray backpack gets ditched too.

 

[MrsWatson]

UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in New York City

Man wearing a mask shoots Brian Thompson, 50, outside a Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan

www.theguardian.com

The New York Times also reported that the gunman reportedly knew which door Thompson was going to enter and shot him several times from mere feet away,before fleeing.

 

[MassGuy]

For all the planning that clearly went on here, it's ironic that this guy doesn't have a chance in hell of getting away with this. You cannot commit a brazen, high profile crime like this in the heart of NYC and get away with it.

Cameras got him. That recovered cell phone may have got him. And DNA from any dumped items may get him down the road.

 

[whitelilac]

Some of the comments here against UHC are quite revealing.

Manhunt underway after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in New York City in 'premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack,' police say

The New York Police Department is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information regarding the shooter.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

One day this will be a perfect case for ID’s “See No Evil,” show.

Surveillance cameras are going to solve this one. I’m sure we’ll start seeing images soon.

Exactly what I was thinking. It sure seems like a planned out hit. I mean, the assassin probably purchased a generic credit card to use for the e-bike. The e-bike has GPS. That backpack will probably be traced to a recent purchase with cash. The guy may have taken a bus to New Jersey. Hopefully, he will be traced (even though he had a mask and hoodie).

I also was thinking that there is at least one other person involved who was in the lobby of the hotel where the CEO was staying across the street. He had to alert the assassin, who showed up five minutes before he murdered the CEO.

JMO.

 

[shetalksinstereo]

Police Hunt for Gunman After UnitedHealthcare C.E.O. Is Killed in Midtown Manhattan

The executive, Brian Thompson, was shot in what the police described as a “brazen targeted attack” outside a hotel where the company was holding an investor meeting. The assailant was last spotted in Central Park, investigators said at a news conference.

www.nytimes.com

View attachment 549032View attachment 549033

The coat doesn't look cream color in these photos... looks dark brown or black?

 

[StarryStarryNight]

The thing is, if it was someone close to his circle, the location of the attack is super weird.

He lives in Minnesota, and it’s much safer to carry out this murder there than in a city that has more surveillance cameras than most places on earth.

Police Hunt for Gunman After UnitedHealthcare C.E.O. Is Killed in Midtown Manhattan

The executive, Brian Thompson, was shot in what the police described as a “brazen targeted attack” outside a hotel where the company was holding an investor meeting. The assailant was last spotted in Central Park, investigators said at a news conference.

www.nytimes.com

Agree.
The shooter, I think, would be someone who would only have access to him on a public street.

 

[dkaras]

Ben Feuerherd
@benfeuerherd

The gunman rode a Citi Bike, the popular ride-share program in NYC. Those bikes are equipped with GPS, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny says. They'll be working with the company to track it.

RSBM

I'm not very familiar with how these bikes work but don't you need to use a credit card or some electronic payment to use these? Plus the GPS, although it was probably ditched quickly. Seems quite stupid for the killer to use this method of getaway.

 

[StarryStarryNight]

It’s so blurry that it’s just impossible to tell. That silencer likely added considerable length to that gun.

You can see that backpack is much longer than usual too. Probably cycled into the alley and quickly put the gun inside.

That backpack looks stuffed with something.
I’m guessing a change of clothes.

 

[Sunshynn]

Some of the comments here against UHC are quite revealing

Yes, very telling.

People are (right or wrong) angry about medical insurance horror stories but I'm not sure how someone would know the identity of the CEO - who isn't living in NY and UHC's main office also is not NY - and knew enough to know down to which door he was going to exit from and could identify him from the back.