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Three days after the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still did not know the gunman’s whereabouts or motive. Investigators were looking into whether the killer might have been a disgruntled employee or client of the insurance company, Detective Chief Joseph Kenny told reporters.
Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting shows him riding his bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter lines to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, DC, according to Kenny.
Police have video of the man entering the bus stop, but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left town, Kenny said. CNN first reported that the suspect may have fled the city on a bus.
Investigators also believe the gunman left the backpack in Central Park and was conducting an extensive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and a heavily wooded area called “The Ramble.” As dusk approached Friday, small groups of police officers could be seen roaming among the trees on the leaf-covered ground.
The attacker took care to conceal his identity with a mask during the attack and even while eating, but still left a trail of evidence overlooking the country’s largest city and its network of security cameras. Thompson was shot outside his company’s annual investor conference at a hotel just blocks from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.
The gunman arrived in New York on Nov. 24, getting off a bus that left Atlanta and making several stops along the way, Kenny said.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Friday that surveillance footage showed the suspect riding the subway and visiting establishments in Manhattan, providing more clues about his actions in the days before the shooting.
He appeared to pay with cash at any establishment where he was caught on camera, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
(New York City Police)
Investigators tested a discarded water bottle and a protein bar wrapper for his DNA. They were also trying to get additional information from a mobile phone found on the attacker’s escape route.
Police have released photos of the suspected killer, which were taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The images, which show an unmasked man smiling in the lobby of the HI Hostel in New York, add to a collection of photos and videos circulating since the shooting — including footage of the attack, as well as images of the suspected gunman at Starbucks beforehand. .
Surveillance images from the shooting show the man wearing a hooded jacket and a mask that hid most of his face — a look that wouldn’t have attracted attention on a chilly morning.
Investigators learned the man took off his mask at the hostel’s front desk because he was flirting with the woman who reported him, Kenny said, which led to a photo of his face. The woman told investigators that during that encounter she asked to see his smile and that he took off his mask, a law enforcement official told the AP.
Investigators believe the suspect used a fake ID and paid cash, Kenny said, when he checked into the hostel, which has a coffee shop and shared and private rooms and is a few blocks from Columbia University.
Investigators also believe the shooter had at least some training and experience with weapons, a law enforcement official said.
Security footage shows the killer approaching Thompson from behind, firing several shots from a silenced handgun, barely pausing to clear the standoff as the executive falls to the pavement.
The words “reject,” “defend” and “reject” were scrawled on the ammunition, Kenny said. The messages echo the phrase “delay, deny, defend,” commonly used by lawyers and critics about insurers delaying payments, denying claims and defending their actions.
Thompson, a father of two sons who lived in suburban Minneapolis, had been with Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.
The insurer’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., held its annual meeting in New York for investors. The company abruptly ended the conference after Thompson’s death.
UnitedHealth Group said it is focused on supporting Thompson’s family, ensuring the safety of employees and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we are touched by the tremendous outpouring,” the company said.
UnitedHealthcare provides coverage to more than 49 million Americans. Administers employer health insurance and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.
In October, UnitedHealthcare was named along with Humana and CVS in a Senate report detailing how its rate of denying prior authorizations for some Medicare Advantage patients had risen in recent years.
The shooting has particularly shaken the health insurance industry, prompting companies to review security plans and delete photos of executives from their websites. Another Minnesota-based healthcare company said Friday it was temporarily closing its offices as a precaution, telling employees to work from home.
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