Near the hotel, investigators discovered a cellphone, which they began forensically analyzing, as well as three bullet casings marked “Deny,” “Defend” and “Drop,” multiple news outlets reported Thursday. These terms may be related to insurance companies’ strategies for denying claims, but police said they are still working to determine the shooter’s motive.
Before 7 a.m. Wednesday, a masked gunman waited outside the Hilton for several minutes before Thompson, 50, approached the building where he was scheduled to attend his company’s annual investor conference.
On the surveillance video, the person can be seen coming up behind Thompson and firing into his back. At some point, the gunman’s weapon appeared to jam, but the gunman managed to clear the malfunction and continued firing, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said at a news conference, describing the gunman as likely “proficient with firearms.”
Thompson, who arrived in New York from Minnesota on Monday to attend the conference, was the highest-ranking executive at UnitedHealthcare, one of the country’s largest insurance providers.
NYPD releases images of “person of interest”
The NYPD released new surveillance images Thursday of a person it described as a “person of interest wanted for questioning” in the shooting.
The new photos show a person wearing a hooded jacket and carrying a black backpack. This apparently is not the same gray backpack that the shooter was wearing in the shooting early Wednesday morning.
“The NYPD’s overall investigative efforts continue and we ask for the public’s help,” the department said in a statement to X.
The bullet casings say “deny,” “defend,” and “reject”: reports
Investigators discovered writing on bullet casings found at the scene of the fatal shooting, The New York Times, NBC News and other media outlets reported, citing police sources with knowledge of the investigation.
The words discovered on the bullet casings are “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” sources told NBC and the Associated Press.
The words are similar to the title of a book published in 2010 called “Delay Deny Defend,” which is critical of the insurance industry.
In addition, police discovered a water bottle and a candy wrapper in the area where the shooter was waiting for Thompson, ABC reported, adding that the evidence, as well as the cellphone, are believed to be linked to the shooter.
Shooter was last seen riding his e-bike into Central Park
After the gunman shot Thompson, he hid in an alley before getting on an e-bike and riding into Central Park, where he was last seen, according to police.
At a news conference Wednesday, law enforcement officials said the shooter got on a CitiBike, New York City’s official bike-sharing system operated by Lyft. The rideshare company did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on whether the shooter was using a CitiBike.
Police released several images of the shooter, showing the gunman wearing a dark hooded jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a distinctive gray backpack.
The NYPD has announced up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
Thompson received threats, his wife said
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband had been the target of threats but that she did not know what they were or who they came from.
“I don’t know, lack of reporting? I don’t know any details,” she told the news outlet. “All I know is that he said there were some people who threatened him.”
Additionally, UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, is aware of threats against its executives, CNN reported, citing a source with knowledge of the investigation.
The company said it had no further comment on questions about alleged threats against UnitedHealth Group executives.
Thompson lived in Maple Grove, Minnesota, about 15 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Police departments in both cities said they had no record of threats against him.
Who was Brian Thompson?
Thompson started at UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and rose through various departments over the next two decades, most recently leading the health insurance division.
In a statement released Wednesday, the company described Thompson as “a valued colleague and friend to all who have worked with him.”
According to his LinkedIn, he graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting.
Thompson is survived by his two sons and his wife, Paulette Thompson, a physical therapist of more than 20 years who graduated from the same college as her husband, according to her professional bio.
Mike Tuffin, president and CEO of AHIP, a commercial health insurance trade association, said in a statement that 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 colleagues at UnitedHealth Group during this difficult time.”
Thompson is accused of insider trading in a lawsuit against pension funds
Earlier this year, Thompson and several other UnitedHealth Group executives were sued by a Hollywood, Florida, pension fund that accused them of selling millions of dollars worth of company stock before news of a U.S. Justice Department investigation sent the company’s stock price plummeting.
In February 2022, the DOJ challenged UnitedHealth’s acquisition of Change Healthcare, a technology company that provides a widely used payment processing system. Months later, a judge approved the transaction.
Two years later, in February, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department had reopened its antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth, causing the company’s stock price to plummet.
In a lawsuit, the City of Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund claimed that “UnitedHealth has been aware of the DOJ investigation since at least October 2023… Instead of disclosing this material investigation to investors or the public, UnitedHealth insiders sold more than $120 million.” .” your personally held UnitedHealth shares.”
According to the lawsuit, Thompson sold over $15 million of his UnitedHealth shares. The lawsuit remains active in Minnesota.
After news of the lawsuit broke, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler “urging him to conduct an insider investigation into stock trading.” UnitedHealth Group executives.” It is unclear whether the agency has opened an investigation into the company.
Last month, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit to prevent UnitedHealth from acquiring home care and hospice provider Amedisys. UnitedHealth also faced the fallout from a huge data hack of its payment processing unit Change Healthcare in February, a cyberattack that crippled patient care and reimbursement to doctors for months.
Contributors: Jorge L. Ortiz, Nick Penzenstadler and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY ; Reuters
