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Brian Thompson shooting latest: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s funeral set as murder manhunt enters sixth day

New images surface as police find the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect’s backpack in Central Park containing two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money

Katie Hawkinson,James Liddell
Monday 09 December 2024 16:20 GMT
Surveillance footage shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect exiting subway station

A private funeral for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is set to be held on Monday as the search search for the gunman who killed him last week enters its sixth day.

Divers with the New York Police Department searched a Central Park pond for the gun used by the shooter. Police say he may have used a veterinary gun, which is a larger, quieter firearm typically used by farmers to put animals down.

Meanwhile, officials released two new photos of the suspected shooter. In the images, shared late on Saturday night, the suspect is pictured outside a taxi and then in the back of the cab wearing a blue medical mask.

The images come as police continue to uncover more evidence in the case. Officers found the suspect’s backpack in Central Park late Friday. Inside was two items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money, sources told ABC News.

While New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted “the net is tightening” around the suspect, much remains a mystery as of Monday morning.

Some NYPD investigators arrived in Atlanta Saturday as police believe the assailant has fled New York City, as the search broadens.

Several insurance companies pulled down executive biography webpages after Brian Thompson killing

Days after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was killed in Manhattan, major health insurance companies are removing information about their top executives from their websites.

Police are still searching for the gunman who fatally shot Brian Thompson near the New York Hilton Midtown early Wednesday morning in what appeared to be a targeted killing.

In the aftermath of the deadly shooting, UnitedHealthcare took down its “leadership” page, WebArchive shows, and the page once containing biographies about its executives now bounces to the insurance company’s homepage with no information about those running the company.

Read more:

Several insurance giants yank leadership webpages after Brian Thompson gunned down

Health insurance giants appear taking steps to protect their executives as UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer remains at large

Kelly Rissman8 December 2024 19:20

Leaked video shows UnitedHealth Group chief complaining about ‘vitriolic’ coverage of Brian Thompson shooting

Three days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally gunned down by a masked man lying in wait outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, the head of the insurer’s parent company addressed anxious staff in a video sent to all US employees.

In it, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty told underlings that their work was “critical” in preventing the US medical system from providing “unnecessary” care he claimed would eventually drive up costs to an “unsustainable” level – as he complained about the “vitriolic” media coverage of the shooting.

Continue reading:

UnitedHealth Group chief complains about media coverage of Brian Thompson shooting

‘I encourage you to tune out that critical noise that we’re hearing right now,’ UnitedHealth Group chief Andrew Witty told employees

Justin Rohrlich8 December 2024 19:00

How did police find an unmasked photo of the suspect?

New York Police Department investigators were able to find and release unmasked photos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO thanks to a flirty moment with a hostel receptionist.

Images released by the NYPD Thursday showed the suspect unmasked. When the images were captured, the suspect was “flirting” with a woman who worked at the Upper West Side hostel he stayed in, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Read the full story from The Independent’s Rhian Lubin:

Major break in search for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer came from a flirty moment

The surveillance images reportedly capture the moment the suspect was flirting with a female worker of the hostel where he was staying

Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 18:40

What is a veterinary gun?

Police say the man who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have used a veterinary gun.

Veterinary guns are larger firearms used by farmers to put down animals without making a loud noise. The weapons are near-silent, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

“It’s a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches,” Kenny said. “If an animal has to get put down, the animal can be shot without causing a loud noise.”

CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller described the guns as meant for “close-up killing.”

“It’s meant for vets to kill an animal by shooting it in the head or somewhere, you know, that’s going to be fatal,” he said. “But it would work the exact same way on humans, very effectively and extraordinarily quietly.”

Moment gunman shoots UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson dead in New York City captured on surveillance video

Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 18:20

What unanswered questions are left on day five of manhunt?

The New York Police Department’s search for the man who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has entered its fifth day.

Investigators have found several clues, including the suspect’s backpack which contained Monopoly money and a jacket. They’ve also released new photos of the suspect getting into a taxi.

However, unanswered questions remain. Officials have yet to release the suspect’s name, though Mayor Eric Adams said this is to ensure the integrity of the investigation.

“If we do, we are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all,” Adams said of releasing the name.

Investigators are also still searching for the suspect’s gun and the bike he fled on. The NYPD sent divers to search a Central Park pond Friday for the suspect’s firearm, which they believe could have been a veterinary gun, a type of weapon used by farmers to put down animals without making a loud noise.

The man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson seen entering a cab in a new photo from the NYPD
The man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson seen entering a cab in a new photo from the NYPD (New York Police Department)
Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 18:00

Rep. Ro Khanna says he understands social media’s response to death of Brian Thompson

Ro Khanna, a Democrat representing California’s 17th District, told ABC News he understands why many aren’t expressing sympathy for the murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

“There is no justification for violence, but the outpouring afterward has not surprised me,” Khanna said Sunday morning. “ I, as a Congressperson, had UnitedHealthcare deny a prescription for a nasal $100 pump spray, and I couldn't get them to reverse this. So imagine what ordinary people are dealing with.”

In the days following Thompson’s death, social media has exploded with users making dark jokes about his death and sharing their experiences with UnitedHealthcare — and other major American insurers — refusing to cover crucial procedures and medications.

“The biggest denial that comes when it's cancer treatment,” Khanna added. “People are getting denied on cancer treatment, and my view is very simple. Why can't we have a rule that if a doctor prescribes something, and if Medicare, traditional Medicare, is going to cover it, then private insurance companies should be forced to cover it?”

Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 17:40

See it: New photos of suspect released by NYPD

The man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson seen entering a cab in a new photo from the NYPD
The man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson seen entering a cab in a new photo from the NYPD (New York Police Department)
The suspect may have already left the city, police said earlier this week
The suspect may have already left the city, police said earlier this week (NYPD)
Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 17:20

Senator John Fetterman slams New York Magazine piece on suspect

Senator John Fetterman condemned a New York Magazine story about the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson titled, “The UnitedHealthcare Shooting was Inevitable.”

“No shortage of shitty takes on the 2024 election or on this assassination,” Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, wrote on X. “The public execution of an innocent man and father of two is indefensible, not ‘inevitable.’

“Condoning and cheering this on says more about YOU than the situation of health insurance,” he added.

Thompson’s death has prompted a much larger conversation on social media about the American insurance industry. Many posters have shared dark jokes on social media while revealing stories of injustices in the healthcare system.

Read more on the phenomenon from The Independent’s Richard Hall:

Reactions to the killing of insurance CEO reveal a deep anger over US healthcare

The reaction to Thompson’s murder reveals a deep anger among many Americans about the unfairness of the US health insurance industry, Richard Hall writes

Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 17:01

SNL jokes about UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer

Saturday Night Live ‘Weekend Update’ hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost joked about the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the latest episode Saturday evening.

“This week, New York City officials sent a tough message on crime: If you shoot somebody in the middle of the street, you better get on your bike, hop on a bus, and get the heck out of here,” Jost said.

“The manhunt continued for the assassin who gunned down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on Wednesday, and it really says something about America that a guy was murdered in cold blood, and the two main reactions were, ‘Yeah, well, healthcare stinks,’ and also, ‘Girl, that shooter hot,’” Jost added.

“It’s also so crazy that the shooting happened three blocks from here in broad daylight, and the guy just bicycled away,” he continued. “Probably because they have every cop in the city guarding our Christmas tree.”

Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 16:40

New Yorkers held UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter look-alike competition

New York residents held a look-alike competition for the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to reporter Talia Jane.

When asked who organized the competition, one person joked, “the FBI.”

This comes amid a national trend of communities hosting celebrity look-alike competitions. Previous contests included face-offs between look-alikes of Timothee Chalamet, Dev Patel and Jeremy Allen White.

Katie Hawkinson8 December 2024 16:20

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