How Healthcare CEO’s Slayer Escaped: What We Know

MIDTOWN, NY – The man who fatally shot Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare – one of the largest and most valuable companies in the world – appears to have eluded authorities.

For now.

The masked gunman shot and killed Thompson outside Hilton Club The Residences – a large Midtown hotel where the company had planned to hold its annual investor day – between 6:44 and 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

Minutes later, he disappeared into Central Park.

What We Know

The NYPD released photos of the suspect’s face on Thursday. A spokesperson told Patch that there were no official updates as of Friday morning.

According to the New York Post, the killer arrived in Manhattan via Greyhound bus on Nov. 24. Although the bus departed from Atlanta, Georgia, it’s not clear where the suspect boarded.

He was reportedly in and out of the HI New York City Hostel on the Upper West Side – Amsterdam Avenue between West 103rd and 104th streets – before “stak[ing] out” the Hilton Hotel in Midtown, where he would shoot Thompson about ten days later. He is believed to have used a fake New Jersey ID to check into the hostel.

It isn’t clear what the gunman did in New York City in between arriving on Nov. 24 and shooting Thompson on Dec. 4. Although police have collected video of the suspect all over the city, he paid with cash and kept his mask on, “which indicates…he knew he was coming to New York City to commit the murder,” according to ABC News.

The exception? When he flirted with a woman while checking into HI New York City Hostel, who asked to see his smile.

The Murder

At a press conference earlier this week, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny pieced together what happened on Wednesday morning.

"The shooter arrived on foot, about five minutes prior to the victim's arrival," Kenny said.

"We see at 6:44 the victim is walking alone toward the Hilton after exiting his hotel across the street. The shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind a car, he ignores numerous other pedestrians, [and] approaches the victim from behind and shoots him in the back. The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears the gun malfunctions, [and] he clears the jam and begins to fire again."

Emergency responders rushed Thompson to Mount Sinai West, where he died at 7:12 a.m.

Kenny demurred when asked if the shooter was a professional killer, but said that "from watching [surveillance] video it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he’s able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly."

This was a targeted attack, officials emphasized.

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

Authorities believe Thompson’s killer used a firearm equipped with a silencer.

“In all of my years of law enforcement, I have never seen a silencer before,” Mayor Eric Adams said on MSNBC on Thursday. “And so that was really something that was shocking to us all.”

The suspect reportedly ditched a burner phone – a cheap prepaid mobile phone – before zigzagging by foot through Midtown and eventually riding an e-bike into Central Park.

In all, it appears it took him approximately three to four minutes to shoot Thompson and disappear into the park.

What About Thompson?

Cops executed a search warrant of Thompson's hotel room on Wednesday. It’s unclear where he was staying or if police obtained information of any value during that search.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Thompson was one of three United executives named in an insider trading lawsuit in May of this year. The suit involved $15 million of Thompson’s personally held shares.

Thompson and his wife, Paulette, had reportedly lived in separate homes less than a mile apart for several years. Paulette, who reportedly works as a physical therapist at a Park Nicollet Health Services clinic in Minneapolis, did not mention Brian in a biography on the clinic’s website. That biography has since been removed.

Cryptic Messages On Bullets

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

UnitedHealth 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.

Numerous outlets, including the Associated Press, have speculated that the words on the bullets – which were reportedly written in permanent marker – may be connected to the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which refers to tactics critics say health insurers like United use to avoid paying claims.

Thompson had indeed been receiving threats apparently connected to UnitedHealth’s business practices, his wife Paulette 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."

ValuePenguin, a site affiliated with online marketplace LendingTree, reported that UnitedHealth’s claim denial rate is the highest in the industry, with the insurer denying – or refusing to pay for a medical service, treatment or procedure – approximately 32 percent of claims.

On the other end of the scale, according to ValuePenguin, health insurer Kaiser denies only 7 percent of claims.

UnitedHealth reportedly insures about 50 million Americans.

Consumer Anger

Health insurers are a frequent target of public ire, and UnitedHealth's shares have fallen following mass consumer backlash in response to Thompson's killing.

"There’s clearly a sense of real discontent and distrust of the industry revealed in social media," an analyst told Investing.com. "That’s not a healthy environment for an industry to prosper.”

In New York State, another insurer, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, said it was scrapping a proposed policy change that could have put time limits on coverage of anesthesia for some extended surgical or other procedures after significant pushback – including from Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Last night, I shared my outrage at a plan from Anthem to strip away coverage from New Yorkers who had to go under anesthesia for surgery,” Hochul said on Thursday. “We pushed Anthem to reverse course and...they will be announcing a full reversal of this misguided policy. Don’t mess with the health and well-being of New Yorkers — not on my watch.”

A 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that a majority of insured adults – 58 percent – said they had experienced a problem using their health insurance in the past year, including denied claims, provider network problems, and pre-authorization problems.

On Thursday, UnitedHealth released the following statement:

While our hearts are broken, we have been touched by the huge outpouring of kindness and support in the hours since this horrific crime took place.

So many patients, consumers, health care professionals, associations, government officials and other caring people have taken time out of their day to reach out. We are thankful, even as we grieve.

Our priorities are, first and foremost, supporting Brian’s family; ensuring the safety of our employees; and working with law enforcement to bring the perpetrator to justice.

We, at UnitedHealth Group, will continue to be there for those who depend upon us for their health care. We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn the loss of their husband, father, brother, and friend.

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 at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on X @NYPDTips. All calls are confidential.

A $10,000 reward is available.