New York City police intensified their search Thursday for a masked gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, in what authorities described as a calculated assassination.
Thompson, 50, CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit, was shot from behind Wednesday morning near the Hilton on Sixth Avenue, where the company was holding its annual investor conference. Security footage showed the assailant had been lying in wait before the attack.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters. “Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”
Police released surveillance photos of the suspect, who wore a hooded sweatshirt and balaclava, showing him raising a handgun at Thompson and later fleeing on an electric bike into Central Park. Additional images captured partial views of the suspect’s face in a cafe.
Investigators reported finding shell casings at the scene with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” carved into them, according to multiple media reports that Reuters has not independently verified.
Thompson’s wife Paulette told NBC News he had received job-related threats, though she didn’t specify their nature. “Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” she said in a later statement.
The killing occurred hours before New York’s annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, which proceeded under heightened security just blocks from the shooting scene.
