NYPD release new, unmasked image in health insurance CEO murder investigation
Police have not commented on message on casings or whether CEO was targeted because of his job
The gunman who killed the CEO of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies in front of midtown Manhattan surveillance cameras remained free on Thursday from the dragnet thrown by the nation's largest police department.
The New York Police Department released a new surveillance image early in the day, asking for the public's help in identifying the person in it for questioning.
The person is unmasked, in contrast to surveillance images released on Wednesday. In those images, the person wore a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face, which wouldn't have attracted attention on a frigid day.
Some of the photos were taken at a Starbucks coffee shop shortly before the shooting.
Investigators also now believe the gunman may have travelled to New York last month on a bus that originated in Atlanta, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Police and federal agents have been collecting information from Greyhound in an attempt to identify the man and are working to determine whether he purchased the ticket to New York in late November, the official said.
Police offered a reward of up to $10,000 US for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Last seen riding in Central Park
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was killed in a dawn ambush on Wednesday as he walked to the company's annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the United States and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs, but it's not clear at this point if Thompson's slaying was related to his job.
Investigators recovered several 9-mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cellphone from the alleyway through which the shooter fled, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny had said earlier.
Three words were written on the casings, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Thursday: "deny," "defend" and "depose."
They're similar to the phrase "delay, deny, defend" — the way some lawyers describe the strategy insurers use to avoid paying claims and the title of a 2010 book that was highly critical of the industry.
Police haven't officially commented on the wording or any connection between them and the insurance industry. They have also said officers haven't determined a motive.
Online reaction takes aim at insurance industry
But Thompson's shooting and the words on the ammunition have sparked a reaction online reflecting a deepening frustration Americans have over the cost and complexity of accessing health care.
By the time UnitedHealthcare closed the comments on its Facebook post mourning its CEO, there were more than 36,000 laughing emojis compared to about 2,200 sad-face reactions.
An Instagram post by the company was similarly locked down, with the comments unviewable by Thursday. The same was true on X.
In the Facebook shares of the company's post, one person offered the shooter a place to stay. Another person wrote, "I would offer thoughts and prayers, but they are not covered as they are out of network," a reference to wording insurers use when a health care provider doesn't have a contract with your health insurance plan.
"Shutting down comments faster than shutting down claims, the UnitedHealth Group way," a commentor wrote on the company's Facebook page Thursday morning.
Anthony Zenkus, an activist and lecturer in the Columbia University's School of Social Work, promoted his own comment-section backlash when he wrote on X.
"Today, we mourn the death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, gunned down.... wait, I'm sorry — today we mourn the deaths of the 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires."
Others, however, were quick to condemn those using the killing to vent their frustrations about the insurance industry.
"I didn't know Mr. Thompson. I'm not a fan of UnitedHealthCare; I had them once, and didn't enjoy it. But understand this: if you think the CEO of a company being gunned down in the street in broad daylight (assassinated) is good or acceptable in any way, you're wrong. And you're sick," one person wrote in a Facebook share of the company's post.
"A family is grieving!" scorned another person.
Thomson was 'intended target,' police say
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, meanwhile, told a news conference on Wednesday that the shooting was no random act of violence but did not draw any connections to Thompson's role as head of the insurance company that was meeting with investors inside the hotel that day.
"Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," she said.
Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected from the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and that the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke with AP.
Investigators are also looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, the official said. The shooter fled on a bike and was last seen riding into Central Park.
An employee at a nearby hostel confirmed that police had visited the location on Thursday with questions related to the probe but declined to provide further information.
Minnesota police unaware of any threats
Security camera video showed the killer approach Thompson from behind, level his pistol and fire several shots, barely pausing to clear a gun jam while the health executive tumbled to the pavement. Other cameras captured the initial stages of the gunman's escape. He fled the block across a pedestrian plaza, then escaped on the bicycle.
Police used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intensive search for the suspect.
The insurer's Minnetonka, Minn.-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting with investors to update Wall Street on the company's direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson's death.
Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with the company since 2004 and was CEO for more than three years.
"Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him," UnitedHealth Group said in a statement. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time."
Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, described him in a statement as "an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives."
She told NBC News that Thompson told her "there were some people that had been threatening him." She didn't have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.
With files from Natalie Stechyson and CBC News