Investigators are searching for clues that would assist them determine the masked gunman who reportedly stalked and fatally shot the chief government of one of many largest U.S. medical health insurance firms on Wednesday on a Manhattan sidewalk, then disappeared into Central Park.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, died in a daybreak ambush Wednesday as he walked to the corporate’s annual investor convention at a Hilton in Midtown, blocks from vacationer attracts like Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art.
The killing and the shooter’s actions within the minutes earlier than and afterward had been captured on among the multitudes of safety cameras current in that a part of the town.
One video confirmed him method Thompson from behind, degree his pistol and hearth a number of pictures, barely pausing to clear a short gun jam whereas the dying well being government tumbled to the pavement.
Other safety cameras captured the preliminary levels of the gunman’s escape. He was seen fleeing the block throughout a pedestrian plaza, then escaping on a bicycle into Central Park, the place he vanished.
Police used drones, helicopters and canines in an intense search, however the killer’s whereabouts remained unknown late into the night time.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that whereas investigators had not but established a motive, the taking pictures was no random act of violence.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch stated at a news convention Wednesday.
“From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny stated.
Police issued a number of surveillance pictures of the person, who wore a hooded jacket and a masks that hid most of his face and would not have attracted consideration on a frigid winter day. Some of the pictures had been taken at a Starbucks espresso store shortly earlier than the taking pictures.
The police division provided a reward of as much as $10,000 for data resulting in an arrest and conviction.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based mother or father firm, UnitedHealth Group Inc., stated in an announcement. “We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”
Thompson’s spouse, Paulette Thompson, instructed NBC News that he instructed her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have particulars however steered the threats might have concerned points with insurance coverage protection.
Eric Werner, the police chief within the Minneapolis suburb the place Thompson lived, stated his division had not obtained any experiences of threats in opposition to the manager.
Investigators recovered a number of 9-millimeter shell casings from outdoors the lodge and a mobile phone from the alleyway by way of which the shooter fled. They had been additionally looking Thompson’s lodge room, interviewing his UnitedHealthcare colleagues and reviewing his social media, Kenny stated.
Police initially stated the shooter rode into Central Park on a bicycle from the town’s bike-share program, CitiBike. But a spokesperson for this system’s operator, Lyft, stated police officers knowledgeable the corporate Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet.
Health care large UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual assembly with traders to replace Wall Street on the corporate’s route and expectations for the approaching yr. The firm ended the convention early within the wake of Thompson’s dying.
Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with the corporate since 2004 and served as CEO for over three years.
UnitedHealthcare is the biggest supplier of Medicare Advantage plans within the U.S. and manages medical health insurance protection for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid packages.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz posted on the social platform X that the state is “sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” the Democrat wrote.
Source: www.dailysabah.com