An unidentified gunman approached UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson after Wednesday morning opened fire outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, then disappeared into the streets of the Big Apple, leading to a massive manhunt.
Authorities have not released a motive, but after bullet casings were found at the scene with the words “deny”, “demolish” and “defend” – which could be a reference to the book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What to Do About Them” – speculation it appeared that the killings might have escalated out of anger at the rejected claim.
Thompson was separated from his wife, Pauline, when he died and the Minnesota-based parent company laid off workers in several states in September, according to The Star-Tribune.
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This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was released via Businesswire when he was named Chief Executive Officer of the UnitedHealthcare Unit in 2017. (Business Wire)
As the police follow the steps of the suspected killer and hunt down the killer, here is a timeline of how things went down.
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A screenshot taken from surveillance footage released by the NYPD shows a person of interest wanted in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, who was killed in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)
In the days leading up to the attack, police sources told Fox News that the gunman took a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, Georgia, to New York City.
He checked into a hostel near Central Park before the murder, using a fake ID and paying in cash.
A security camera captures a person of interest in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson. (Gideon Platt/Stage Star Deli)
Wednesday, December 4
At 6:14 am: Prior to the attack, the NYPD obtained surveillance video from a Midtown coffee shop showing the masked suspect, and surveillance video outside the Stage Star Deli near the corner of 55th Street and Sixth Avenue showing him walking past several minutes later.
The NYPD released still images of the suspected UnitedHealthcare killer at a Starbucks near the scene of the crime shortly before it happened. (NYPD)
At 6:40 am: Surveillance video outside the hotel captured the ambush.
It shows a masked man waiting outside the area stepping up behind Thompson, who was coming from another hotel across the street, and shot him in the back – in the leg through the back and into the chest.
The police arrived in less than three minutes, but the suspect had already fled. Thompson, a Minnesota native who was in New York for a work-related conference, was unconscious and unresponsive, according to the NYPD. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A surveillance photo released by the NYPD shows the suspect in the shooting death of United Healthcare executive Brian Thompson on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (NYPD Crimestoppers)
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Cameras show the killer's path from the scene. He dropped the phone on the road between 54th and 55th streets, where authorities were looking for fingerprints and other clues. He rode up the Avenue of the Americas, got on his bike and headed north toward Central Park. When he left the park, he was not wearing the backpack seen in the earlier surveillance video.
Around 7am: The video shows a man who appears to match the gunman's description riding a bicycle on the Upper West Side, more than 30 blocks from the scene and across from Central Park. He is no longer wearing the backpack taken from the earlier surveillance video.
Police searched the park for evidence Friday morning.
The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for the case, asking the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also send a tip through their website. All calls are kept confidential.
Fox News' Alexis McAdams, Julia Bonavita and Christina Coulter contributed to this report.
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