UnitedHealth Thompson’s killer is still on the loose in New York

New York police on Thursday released new photos of the face of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan, with the gunman still at large nearly 36 hours after authorities launched a citywide manhunt to track him down.

Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit, was shot in the back early Wednesday morning in what police said was a targeted attack by a masked assailant. It happened just before the company’s annual investor conference at the Hilton on Sixth Avenue.

The words “deny”, “defend” and “release” were carved into shell casings found at the scene, police sources told the ABC and New York Post. A spokesman for the New York Police Department declined to comment on the report.

These words evoke the title of a book criticizing the insurance industry published in 2010 Delay, Denial, Defense: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It. The author, Jay Feinman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers University School of Law, wrote: “Sorry, no comment” in an email when contacted by Reuters.

Authorities released new photos that clearly show the suspect’s face Thursday, a day after they released photos showing his face partially obscured by a ski mask and asked for the public’s help in locating him. Police also searched a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side where the suspect was believed to be staying, CNN reports.

Police have not publicly released a motive, but investigators say Thompson’s attack was premeditated.

Security video shows the gunman behind Thompson, 50, raise a gun and shoot him in the back. Police said the gunman arrived at the hotel minutes before Thompson and waited for him to pass before firing, ignoring other bystanders.

The suspect, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, ski mask and a gray backpack, fled on foot before getting on an electric bicycle and riding into Central Park, police said.

Police released a series of images of the suspect captured by surveillance cameras in the area, including one with a gun raised and pointed at Thompson and another of the suspect fleeing on an electric bicycle.

The city has one of the most sophisticated surveillance systems of any major U.S. city, largely built after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said Felipe Rodriguez, a former NYPD sergeant who is now an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. -York.

There are thousands of cameras in New York City, and all feeds can be monitored in real-time, as well as previewed footage using facial recognition software.

“It’s called a real-time crime center: actionable intelligence can be relayed to officers who are responding to the scene,” Rodriguez said.

“Extraordinary Man”

UnitedHealth is the largest health insurance company in the United States, serving tens of millions of Americans who pay more for their health care than people in any other country. Thompson, a father of two, joined UnitedHealth in 2004 and became CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group, in April 2021.

The company has been dealing with the aftermath of a massive data breach at its Change Healthcare unit, which provides technology for US healthcare providers, disrupting patient care and physician reimbursement for months.

“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and everyone who was close to him,” the company said in a statement.

In a video sent to employees Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty announced Thompson’s death, calling him “a truly extraordinary man.” At its headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., the company lowered campus flags to half-staff, a company spokesman told Reuters.

Thompson’s wife, Paulette, told NBC News on Wednesday that he had received threats about his work, but said she did not know the details.

“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched many lives,” she said later in a statement. “Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed.”

Police in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where Thompson lived, were investigating a bomb threat at his home Wednesday night, more than 12 hours after he was killed.

Police searched the two residences with the help of Minneapolis police explosive devices, but did not find any suspicious devices, the report said. The police department said in a press release that the threat was false.

The killing prompted some health insurance companies to reassess the risks for their executives. Reuters