The New York City Police Department has released this photo of a guy who is wanted for interrogation in relation to the investigation into the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (AP via the New York City Police Department)AP
NEW YORK According to police sources on Friday, the shooter who killed the CEO of the biggest health insurance in the United States most likely took a bus out of New York City shortly after the heinous massacre that rocked corporate America.
Police were still unsure of the gunman’s location and the reason behind the murder three days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters that investigators were investigating if the shooter might have been an unhappy employee or customer of the insurance company.
According to Kenny, the gunman was shown on camera riding a bicycle into Central Park before boarding a taxi to a bus terminal that provides Greyhound service to Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, D.C., as well as commuter travel to New Jersey.
According to Kenny, police assume the man departed the city since they have video of him entering the bus station but none of him leaving. At first, CNN suggested that the suspect might have taken a bus to get out of town.
According to police on Friday, investigators discovered a bag that the gunman had carried in Central Park after conducting a thorough search throughout a vast area that included playgrounds, meadows, lakes and ponds, and a heavily forested area known as The Ramble.
The gunman left a trail of evidence in view of the country’s largest metropolis and its network of surveillance cameras, but he took care to hide his identity with a mask during the attack and even while he was eating. At a hotel a few steps from Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, Thompson was shot outside his company’s annual investor conference.
According to Kenny, the shooter got off a bus that left Atlanta and stopped multiple times before arriving in New York City on Nov. 24.
More hints about the suspect’s activities in the days preceding the massacre can be found in security film that shows him using the subway and going to places in Manhattan, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Friday.
According to the official, who spoke to the AP under condition of anonymity and was not permitted to disclose specifics of the current investigation, he seemed to pay with cash in any establishment where he was seen on camera.
In an effort to find his DNA, investigators have tested a protein bar wrapper and a discarded water bottle. A smartphone discovered along the gunman’s escape route was another source of information they were attempting to get.
Police have made public images of the alleged shooter that were captured in the Upper West Side hostel lobby in Manhattan. The pictures, which feature an unmasked man grinning in the HI New York City hostel’s lobby, join a number of pictures and videos that have been making the rounds since the massacre, including footage of the assault and pictures of the alleged shooter at a Starbucks before the shooting.
The individual is shown in surveillance photos from the shooting wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that covers the majority of his face, an appearance that would not have drawn notice on a cold morning.
According to Kenny, who took a picture of the man’s face, investigators have discovered that the man lowered his mask at the hostel’s front desk because he was making out with the woman who checked him in. According to a law enforcement official who spoke to AP, the woman told investigators that she requested him to grin during that encounter, and he removed his mask.
According to Kenny, investigators think the suspect paid cash and used a phony ID card to check in at the hostel, which is located blocks from Columbia University and offers both private and shared rooms in addition to a cafe.
According to the law enforcement officer, investigators also think the shooter had some firearms training and expertise.
Using a rifle with a silencer, the assassin fired multiple bullets at Thompson as he approached him from behind, barely stopping to clear a jam before the businessman slumped to the sidewalk, according to security footage.
According to Kenny, the phrases “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were inscribed on the ammunition. In regards to insurers that postpone payments, reject claims, and defend their acts, lawyers and opponents frequently use the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” which is reflected in the texts.
Thompson, a Minneapolis suburbia father of two sons, had been employed by UnitedHealthcare, a Minnesota company, since 2004 and had been its CEO for almost three years.
In New York, UnitedHealth Group Inc., the parent company of the insurer, was hosting its annual investor meeting. Following Thompson’s passing, the corporation immediately ended the conference.
UnitedHealth Group stated that its priorities were helping investigators, protecting employee safety, and providing assistance to Thompson’s family. The firm stated, “The tremendous outpouring has touched us, even though our hearts are broken.”
Over 49 million Americans are covered by UnitedHealthcare. It oversees employer-sponsored health insurance plans as well as Medicaid programs that are supported by the federal government and states.
UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and CVS were included in a Senate report in October that described the recent spike in the company’s prior authorization denial rate for certain Medicare Advantage patients.
In particular, the shooting has shook the health insurance sector, prompting businesses to review their security protocols and remove executive images from their websites. Another health care provider in Minnesota announced on Friday that, out of caution, it was temporarily closing its offices and instructing staff to work from home.
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