The suspect the NYPD believes shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson left behind writings on the shell casings that police found at the crime scene, a senior New York City law enforcement official briefed on the investigation tells NBC News.
The search for the masked gunman has been ongoing since the Wednesday morning shooting left Thompson fighting for his life outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel ahead of a UnitedHealth Group investor meeting.
NYPD police officials said Thompson appeared to be targeted in a "brazen" and "premeditated" attack.
Dramatic surveillance video obtained by NBC New York appears to show Thompson walking down the sidewalk on 54th Street towards the hotel entrance when the gunman comes up behind him and shoots him in the back. Police said the shooter's gun jammed but he was able to clear it several times and shoot Thompson in the front before leaving the scene, first on foot and then on an e-bike.
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A law enforcement official tells NBC News the bullet casings found at the scene had messages on them that were “defend", "deny” and “depose.”
Thompson, 50, had been CEO of UnitedHealthcare since April 2021.
His suspected killer rode an e-bike to Central Park after the shooting and was last seen in the area of Center Drive on Wednesday morning, police said.
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Police used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intense search, but the killer's whereabouts remained unknown late into the night.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that while investigators had not yet established a motive, the shooting was no random act of violence.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said at a news conference 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 said.
Police issued several surveillance images of the man, who wore a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face and wouldn't have attracted attention on a frigid winter day. Some of the photos were taken at a Starbucks coffee shop shortly before the shooting.
The suspect purchased a water bottle and two protein bars from a nearby Starbucks before the shooting and discarded the items, a senior New York City law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told NBC News.
The NYPD was able to collect the discarded items as evidence, the official said.
The police department offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., said in a statement. "We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.
Police initially said the shooter rode into Central Park on a bicycle from the city’s bike-share program, CitiBike. But a spokesperson for the program’s operator, Lyft, said police officials informed the company Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet.
Health care giant UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual meeting with investors to update Wall Street on the company's direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson's death.
Thompson, a father of two sons, had been with the company since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.
Minnesota Gov. 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.
