Killer Unmasked In Midtown CEO Shooting: Latest Updates

MIDTOWN, NY – Police have requested a search warrant for a location in New York City where they believe Brian Thompson’s killer may have been staying, according to ABC News. Per PIX11, that location may be the HI New York City Hostel on the Upper West Side.

A masked gunman shot and killed Thompson, 50, outside Hilton Club The Residences – a large Midtown hotel – before quickly disappearing into Central Park.

Three bullets found at the scene had the words “defend,” “depose,” and “deny” on them, according to multiple reports.

UnitedHealth, one of the largest and most valuable companies in the world, is the largest insurer in the United States by market share. As of 2023, it employed or was affiliated with approximately 10 percent of all physicians in the United States. It’s also the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the country.

Thompson was set to attend UnitedHealth's annual investor day, which was canceled.

A Targeted Murder

The preliminary police investigation indicated that the shooting was a targeted murder.

"Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a news conference on Wednesday. "I want to be clear: at this time every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said police were looking at evidence recovered from the scene and canvassing video. “Tell New Yorkers: NYPD is on the job,” he said. “Again, this was not what appears to be a just random act of violence. It seems to be clearly targeted by an individual and we will apprehend that individual.”

Thompson had been receiving threats, his wife Paulette Thompson told NBC News.

"There had been some threats," she said. "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."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website athttps://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on X @NYPDTips. All calls are confidential.

A $10,000 reward is available, police said.