Gunman may have fled city, police chasing hundreds of tips in hunt for CEO killer
Editor's note: USA TODAY has continuing coverage on Saturday, December 7, about the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
As the search for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson entered its third day on Friday, police chased down hundreds of tips, health care companies increased security around executives and security experts warned precious time is ticking away to catch the shooter.
Thompson, the highest-ranking executive at UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest insurance providers in the nation, was gunned down outside the Hilton Midtown Manhattan early Wednesday by a masked gunman who fled the scene on foot and then by bike into Central Park, touching off a massive dragnet in the country's most populous city.
The gunman who killed Thompson may have fled New York City on a bus after the slaying, NYPD officials told CNN Friday. Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives, told CNN the police have video of the gunman going into a bus terminal the day of the attack.
“We have reason to believe that the person in question has left New York City,” Commissioner Jessica Tisch told the outlet.
Previously, the New York Police Department released surveillance images on Thursday of a "person of interest" checking into a youth hostel and asked for the public's help finding the man, who was wearing a jacket similar to one worn by the gunman but a different backpack.
Investigators are analyzing a cellphone found near the scene along with three bullet casings inscribed with the words "deny,” “defend” and “depose," multiple news outlets reported. Those terms have been associated with insurance companies' strategies for rejecting claims, but police are still working to determine the shooter's motive.
'Meticulous,' maybe professional: Experts on killer
Even when the weapon appeared to jam, the killer remained composed. He stood over Thompson, fired again and walked away, leaving behind bullet casings inscribed with messages, multiple news outlets reported
Experts told USA TODAY that the details provide investigators key clues about who the man is ? and how tough it will be to catch him.
The more Michael Alcazar, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, sees video footage of the shooting, the more he believes the shooter may have been a professional.
"It looks like this guy may have had some experience, and I'm sure investigators are entertaining the possibility," said Alcazar, a former detective with the New York City Police Department. "It definitely crossed my mind."
Police haven’t recovered the gun but the shooter's apparent choice of a bolt-action pistol indicates to Alcazar he had an objective: "That's a very specific weapon that just needs one shot," Alcazar said. "It shows confidence."
Others aren't so sure.
A professional would have made sure the weapon he planned to use was in proper working order and wouldn't jam, said David Carter, a professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University and director of the university's Intelligence program.
"A paid assassin would use a revolver, which is more reliable and has no cartridges, or he would pick up the cartridges," Carter said.
The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" etched into bullet casings, according to multiple reports, also indicate a motive that leans toward a personal grudge, according to Carter.
"There is no reason someone who's a paid killer would do that," said Carter, "because that's evidence, and it's unique evidence."
The shooter seems to have taken steps to plan the attack and conceal his identity, including using a fake ID, wearing a face mask and staying at a hostel. He also did not rent a car but instead fled on foot and then on a bike.
His use of what appeared to be a silencer also likely helped him escape undetected, Alcazar said.
"If he used a regular gun, there would be more eyes and more attention on him, it would have caught more attention," Alcazar said. "It’s really smart to help with his getaway."
But Carter and Alcazar both believe the shooter, whether a professional assassin or a person out for revenge or with some other motive, will be caught.
"He seems to have been very meticulous," both in planning and in his escape, Alcazar said. "So when they're processing the scene and gathering surveillance and evidence, (law enforcement) will have to be just as meticulous."
- Phaedra Trethan
Health insurance CEO murder unleashes Internet vitriol aimed at industry
The brazen murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has unleashed social media scorn at his company and a U.S. health insurance industry that serves as gatekeeper to the nation's $4.5 trillion health care system.
Although social media is often filled with hatred and “good riddances” after a high-profile murder, and there have been instances of violence against people involved in health care before, the reaction this time felt different, experts said.
The Midtown Manhattan murder tapped a groundswell of public anger over an industry the public often only knows through impersonal delays and denials to needed health care, said Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA executive who became a whistleblower against the health insurance industry.
"I've been hearing for years now from people who have been so frustrated 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," Potter said.
Health insurer shares fall after UnitedHealthcare executive's murder
Shares of health insurance companies including UnitedHealth Group continued to fall on Friday, two days after Thompson, the CEO of the company's health insurance unit, was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel.
Shares of UnitedHealth were down 4.8% on Friday after a 5% drop on Thursday. Rival insurers Elevance, Centene, CVS Health, and Cigna also fell between 1% and 3% in afternoon trading. Those shares all lost ground on Thursday as well.
The news comes after Thompson's death sparked a wide social media conversation over frustrations with navigating the U.S. health insurance system, particularly when medical expenses are not covered or insurance claims or requests for care are denied.
"The anti-insurer sentiment expressed by the public after this event suggests that UnitedHealth and perhaps the industry may need to adjust how they handle coverage decisions," said Morningstar analyst Julie Utterback.
The insurance industry has been facing higher costs over the past few quarters due to increased demand for healthcare under government-backed Medicare plans for older adults or those with disabilities, as well as changes in Medicaid eligibility from states, which has left insurers with more patients who require more medical services.
Officials testing DNA as police hunt for killer
After searching areas where the shooter was seen, police investigating Thompson's slaying have recovered DNA and sent it to the city's medical examiner for testing, according to reports from multiple media outlets.
Police reportedly were able to recover DNA from a water bottle they believe the shooter bought at a Starbucks close to the hotel, the New York Post reported. The New York Times reported Friday it's not clear where the DNA was found or whether the DNA could immediately identify the gunman, adding that investigators would still need to find a match in a law enforcement or other database.
NYC police hunt for executive’s assassin as 48-hour window closes
Security experts said the first 48-hours after such a crime are a critical window of opportunity to catch a fleeing suspect – a timeframe that has now passed.
“The clock is running,” said Felipe Rodriguez, a former NYPD police detective and an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “They still haven’t recovered gun, the bicycle, the backpack. The longer it takes, they could be losing vital pieces of evidence.”
Rodriguez said solving the case is like putting together a difficult jigsaw puzzle.
“You start from edges first and work your way in, but right now they might not have all the pieces. But the case is moving forward,” he said.
Rodriguez added that police must cast a much wider net than just New York City, because the suspect might have fled the city or state.
Health care companies pull executive info after shooting
CVS Health removed photos of its executive leadership from its website following the Thompson's shooting, a spokesperson for the company confirmed to USA TODAY Friday. Spokesperson Ethan Slavin declined to answer questions about why the photos were taken down.
A copy of the company's "Meet our leadership team" page from the day of the shooting saved by the Internet Archive features a stack of photos accompanying links to the bios. As of Friday, depictions of the smiling executives, from the CEO and president to an array of vice presidents are gone.
Medica, a nonprofit health plan that serves nearly 1.5 million people, also has removed biographical information about the company’s executives from its website as a precaution in response to Thompson's killing, spokesperson Greg Bury told USA TODAY. The firm is also temporarily closing all six locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota.
Health insurer Centene, took down pictures of executives from their corporate websites in an apparent tightening of security measures. Centene said late on Thursday it would no longer hold an in-person investor day next week, and the event would be streamed online.
The moves come as executives and their families across many sectors, including health care, have faced a spike in digital and physical threats as a result of "increased discontent, increased cyber risks, increased vitriol," according to Chris Pierson, CEO of security firm BlackCloak.
Pierson said its become more difficult to protect executives because so many of their activities are made public – from board meetings to conferences and speaking engagements. Thompson was due to speak at UnitedHealth's annual investor conference at the hotel where he was slain.
"For board members and corporate executives, their digital lives, their personal and work lives are just so incredibly intertwined that the risks and threats that they now face are much greater than ever before, and the same thing applies to their families," Pierson said.
New York mayor not worried, says CEO killer will be caught
In an interview on NY1 Friday, New York Mayor Eric Adams said he has confidence the NYPD will capture the killer, even as precious time ticks away since the ambush.
“We’re on the right track. We’re going to bring this person to justice," he said, according to the New York Times. “This person was fully masked, and we used good old-fashioned police work to come up with the picture you have.”
Police finding new clues about shooter
Investigators are following a trail of clues the gunman left before and after the shooting. Authorities believe he arrived by bus on Nov. 24 and stayed at a hostel in the Upper West Side, booking a room with a fake New Jersey ID, the Times reported.
The bus began its trip to New York from Atlanta, but it's not clear where the gunman boarded it, according to CNN, which also reported his unmasked photos were captured at the hostel's front desk during an exchange with a clerk.
Police have said they recovered a water bottle and the wrapper for a protein bar they believe the man bought at a Starbucks close to the hotel, and they're being analyzed. But the Times reported a fingerprint on the bottle was too smudged to help the investigation.
Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest and conviction.
NYPD analyzing surveillance video to identify killer
New York City police continue to review images from public and private cameras to determine the gunman’s movements before and after the shooting.
At 6:17 a.m., cameras inside a Starbucks at West 56th Street and 6th Avenue, two blocks from the hotel, recorded the suspect at a counter, CBS News reports. Though his face is partially hidden, police are using facial recognition technology to try to identify him, the BBC reports.
About half an hour later, surveillance video captured Thompson being shot outside the hotel.
More: How the NYPD is analyzing surveillance video to identify Brian Thompson's killer
Police have released several images of the shooter in which the gunman can be seen wearing a dark-colored jacket with a hood over his head, a black facemask, black-and-white sneakers and a distinctive gray backpack. The NYPD on Thursday released new surveillance images of a person they described as a "person of interest wanted for questioning" in the shooting.
Who was Brian Thompson?
Thompson lived in Maple Grove, Minnesota, about 15 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The police departments in both cities said they didn't have any records of threats against him.
Thompson is survived by his two sons and wife, Paulette Thompson, a physical therapist of over 20 years who graduated from the same college as her husband, according to her workplace bio.
He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a Bachelor's in business administration and accounting, according to his LinkedIn.
Thompson started at UnitedHealth Group in 2004, and over the next two decades climbed up the ranks, working in several departments before taking up his most recent role overseeing its health insurance unit. The company on Wednesday described Thompson as "a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him."
Mike Tuffin, president and CEO of AHIP, a commercial health insurance trade association, said in a statement he was "Heartbroken and horrified by the loss of my friend Brian Thompson."
"He was a devoted father, a good friend to many and a refreshingly candid colleague and leader," Tuffin said. "All of us at AHIP are thinking of Brian’s family and his UnitedHealth Group colleagues at this difficult time.”
(This is a developing story and will be updated.)
Contributing: Ken Alltucker, Jeanine Santucci, George Petras, Janet Loehrke, Ramon Padilla, David Oliver and Mary Walrath-Holdridge; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gunman may have fled city; police hunting for CEO killer