An unknown gunman approached UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson from behind Wednesday morning and opened fire outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan before disappearing into the streets of the Big Apple, sparking a massive manhunt.
Authorities have not revealed a motive, but after bullet casings were found at the scene with the words ‘deny’, ‘deposit’ and ‘defend’ written on them – a possible reference to the book’Delay, deny, defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It” – speculation arose that the murder may have been motivated by resentment over a denied claim.
Thompson was separated from his wife, Pauline, at the time of his death, and the Minnesota-based company’s parent company laid off employees in multiple states in September. The Star Stand.
UNITED HEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON MURDER: LIVE UPDATES
This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was released via Businesswire when he was named Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Unit in 2017. (Businesswire)
As police retrace the suspected killer’s steps and search for a killer, here’s a timeline of how things unfolded.
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A screenshot of surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows a person of interest wanted in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was killed in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
In the days before the attack, police sources tell Fox News that the shooter took a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, Georgia, to New York City.
He checked into a hostel near Central Park before the murder, used a fake ID and paid in cash.
Security camera captures person involved in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Gideon Platt/Stage Star Deli)
Wednesday December 4
Around 6:14 am: Before the attack, the NYPD recovered surveillance video from a Midtown coffee shop showing the masked suspect, and surveillance video from outside the Stage Star Deli near the corner of 55th Street and Sixth Avenue shows him passing by several times minutes later.
The NYPD has released still images of the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO at a Starbucks store near the scene of the crime shortly before it happened. (NYPD)
Around 6:40 am: Surveillance video outside the hotel recorded the ambush.
It shows a masked man waiting outside the venue stepped behind Thompson, who was approaching from another hotel across the street, and shot him from behind – in the leg, through the back and through the chest.
Police arrived within three minutes, but the suspect had already fled. Thompson, a Minnesota native who was in New York for a work-related conference, was unconscious and unresponsive, according to the NYPD. He was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.
A surveillance image released by the NYPD shows the suspect in the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
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Cameras show the killer’s path as he moves away from the crime scene. He dropped a phone in an alley between 54th and 55th streets, where authorities checked for fingerprints and other clues. He turned onto the Avenue of Americas, got on his bike and headed north toward Central Park. When he emerged from the park, he was not wearing a backpack seen on previous surveillance video.
Around 7am: Video shows a man who appears to match the shooter’s description riding a bicycle on the Upper West Side, more than 30 blocks from the crime scene and on the other side of Central Park. He is no longer wearing the backpack captured on previous surveillance footage.
Police searched the park for evidence on Friday morning.
The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward in the case and is asking the public to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also submit a tip via their website. All conversations are treated confidentially.
Alexis McAdams, Julia Bonavita and Christina Coulter of Fox News contributed to this report.
