New photos released of CEO Brian Thompson's killer; FBI offers $50K reward: Updates
The manhunt for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson intensified Sunday after New York authorities released two new photos of the widely sought suspect and hinted the killer's identity may have been determined.
The photos appear to have been taken from a camera in a cab, which authorities believe the suspect boarded after the shooting and show him wearing a blue medical mask and a hooded jacket. In one photo, he appears to be looking through the partition from the back seat; in the other photo, he is on the street.
Previously released photos have provided a relatively clear view of his face.
Earlier Saturday, police said the killer’s backpack, found in Central Park, contained a jacket and fake money from a Monopoly game. That same day, divers searched a pond in the park. The murder weapon has not been located.
Thompson, 50, was shot Wednesday on a Midtown street outside a Hilton hotel where he was set to speak at an investment conference. Surveillance cameras show a shooter firing multiple times from behind Thompson at close range at about 6:45 a.m.
Police, primarily through surveillance cameras around the city, tracked his movements. Authorities said the assailant, wearing a hooded jacket, balaclava, and gray backpack, fled on foot before mounting an electric bike and riding into Central Park.
The suspect caught a cab around 7 a.m. on the Upper West Side and was seen on video at an uptown bus station about 45 minutes later, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said, adding police believe the suspect had left the city.
Kenny said the suspect arrived in the city on Nov. 24 on a bus from Atlanta, though it's unclear where he caught the bus along its route. No motive has been revealed for the attack.
Police said the words “deny,” "defend" and “depose” were written on bullet casings found at the murder scene, a possible reference to insurance companies' tactics in rejecting customer claims. The internet is now flooded with deny, defend, and depose shirts and other items, some including the word UnitedHealthcare.
A 2010 book "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It," by Jay Feinman, accuses insurers of often trying to avoid paying justifiable claims to boost profits.
CEO Brian Thompson shooting: 'Net is tightening' in search for suspect, NYC mayor says
Mayor won't say whether killer was identified
On Saturday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the "net was tightening" in the effort to find the killer. But he declined to say whether the identity of the suspect has been determined.
"We don't want to release that now," said Adams, a former police officer. "If you do, you're basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking, and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask."
FBI joins investigation, offers $50,000 reward
New York police have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Thompson's shooter, and now a law enforcement heavy hitter is putting up a much bigger prize.
The FBI's office in New York has joined the investigation and over the weekend publicized a poster with three photos of the suspect and notice of a $50,000 reward for information that may result in his capture and conviction.
The gunman is now on the FBI's Most Wanted list, and the bureau said it's "seeking the public's assistance in identifying the unknown suspect responsible'' for Thompson's shooting death.
Internet vitriol takes aim at the health insurance industry
The brazen killing unleashed social media scorn at Thompson's company and a U.S. health insurance industry that serves as a gatekeeper to the nation's $4.5 trillion health care system.
Trying to file an insurance claim at UnitedHealthcare, among the nation's largest insurance companies, is a "humiliating and godawful slog," one commenter wrote. "Guessing this (shooter) might be a disgruntled policy holder.”
Another poster complained: "CEOs are making money hand over fist ? by DENYING care. I feel terrible for his family, but can’t say I’m surprised.”
Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA executive who became a whistleblower against the health insurance industry, said he has long heard of policyholders' frustration "because of denials or delays of care, and this was an opportunity for people to vent and to take out their anger against someone who just became known to them all of a sudden."
? Ken Alltucker, Jeanine Santucci, N'dea Yancey-Bragg
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shooting updates: Photos released
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