The New York City Police Department has been conducting an aggressive search for the suspect involved in the December 4 killing of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. There is now a $10,000 reward being offered for information that would lead to the assailant’s capture. Authorities are encouraging anyone who has information about the killer to contact the NYPD.
Surveillance video shows the masked gunman waiting outside the Hilton Hotel on Sixth Avenue, where Thompson, 50, was set to host an investors’ conference. Around 6:46 a.m., the attacker fired multiple shots at Thompson from behind, even clearing a weapon jam mid-attack. Thompson, struck multiple times, collapsed and attempted to crawl away while the gunman continued firing. He left behind a phone in a nearby alley as he fled.
Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital but died from his injuries at 7:12 a.m. NYPD chief of detectives Joe Kenny said, “This does not appear to be a random act of violence. Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted.”
Investigators are analyzing shell casings and live 9-millimeter rounds found at the scene, which were engraved with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend.” Those words seem to refer to grievances against the health insurance industry and are similar to the title of a 2010 book, Delay, Deny, Defend, which is critical of insurance companies for denying claims. The book’s author, Jay M. Feinman, who is a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School, refused to comment when contacted by police.
His estranged wife, Paulette “Pauley” Thompson, said that her husband had been getting threats lately which may have something to do with his working at UnitedHealthcare. “Well, basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage?” she ventured to NBC News, hypothesizing that the threats had something to do with the firm’s refusal to pay certain claims. UnitedHealthcare is the largest private health insurer in the U.S. and has been criticized for denying certain claims, including a recent investigation by the Department of Justice for antitrust violations.
UnitedHealthcare revealed that Thompson had experienced threats in the past. Most insurance executives experience threats at one point or another. Thompson was a married man with two sons, with an annual salary of almost $9.9 million.
The NYPD has managed to get a warrant to scrutinize the phone the killer threw away, which could be very critical evidence. Meanwhile, the police continue to analyze whether the attack was motivated by Thompson’s corporate role or personal grievances.
This case has attracted wide media attention, and the NYPD is working relentlessly to bring the perpetrator to justice.
