The police believe Mr. Thompson was targeted in the attack, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The shooting happened on the morning of the company’s annual investor conference in New York City, and Mr. Thompson had arrived early to prepare for the conference, the people said.

The gunman apparently knew which door Mr. Thompson was going to enter and shot him several times from a few feet away, then fled.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan Wednesday morning in a “brazen, targeted attack” as he walked toward the company’s annual investor conference, NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch announced. The gunman remains on the loose. Shortly before 7 a.m., a gunman, masked in the freezing temperatures, “was lying in wait” before opening fire on Thompson, Tisch said. “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said. “I want to be clear: At this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.” The gunman approached Thompson from behind and shot him at least once in the back and once in the right calf, Tisch said.

Responding emergency workers took Thompson to Mount Sinai West in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. “Investigative efforts of the New York City Police Department are well underway, and we will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter,” Tisch added. The suspect fled — first on foot, then on an e-bike — and was last seen in Central Park early this morning, police said. Investigators are continuing to canvas the area. The suspect shot Thompson with what appeared to be a silencer, according to a law enforcement official. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Thompson’s wife Paulette told NBC News “there had been some threats” against her husband.

jc57 wrote: Wed Dec 04, 2024 3:11 pm The reactions to this by people posting on social media have been very interesting.

The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found on the casings, ABC News reported, citing police sources.

highdesert wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 12:47 pm NYPD thinks they have photos of the shooter without his mask and are circulating them to the public.

wooglin wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 3:44 pm

highdesert wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2024 12:47 pm NYPD thinks they have photos of the shooter without his mask and are circulating them to the public.

Different coat, different bag. Sure wouldn't want to be that guy.

Eris wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2024 11:21 am I've seen other still photos from that video that make the jaket look *much* darker, as well as the floor being a different color. I think the color in these images is deceptive because of bad lighting. Let's be honest: these are not studio shots and the colors are *not* going to be accurate most of the time

Although Sparks, 34, has been tapped by law enforcement in the past to help train officers on how to find suspects online, according to emails seen by NBC News, she said this time she isn’t interested in helping police.

Sparks, who also works in health care as a lactation consultant and holds a doctorate of pharmacy, didn’t mince words when asked if her community was working to find the suspect in Thompson’s murder.

“Absolutely the f--- not,” she said.

Another popular TikTok sleuth, thatdaneshguy, who has 2 million followers on the platform, made a video that was critical of the health care industry, saying that he wouldn’t try to identify the killer. “I don’t have to encourage violence. I don’t have to condone violence by any means. But I also don’t have to help,” he said.

NYPD detectives arrived in Atlanta on Saturday following a large number of tips linked to the as-yet unidentified suspect wanted in the Wednesday shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, sources told ABC News. The Atlanta Police Department confirmed the arrival of the New York team but declined to give more specifics. The suspect allegedly arrived in New York on Nov. 24 on a Greyhound bus that departed from Atlanta, though it is unclear exactly when he may have boarded. Sources told ABC News he was spotted on board in Washington, D.C. Police have learned that the suspect took a taxi to the Port Authority bus facility at 178th Street and boarded a bus out of New York City following the shooting, according to police.

The suspect is believed to have boarded a bus out of the city that made six or seven stops, police sources said. Investigators have followed leads in multiple states, the sources said. The FBI is assisting the nationwide manhunt, according to law enforcement sources. Investigators are continuing to comb New York City -- where the suspect is believed to have spent 10 days before the shooting -- for evidence. The DNA samples are currently at the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be run through databases for a possible match -- a process that could take several days, the sources said. Police were also able to extract a fingerprint off a water bottle the suspect bought at a Starbucks. The print is smudged, so it is unclear whether it will be helpful to the investigation, sources said. Police have not yet recovered the distinctive gun used in the shooting.

Authorities have identified the man suspected of killing UnitedHealth <UNH.N> executive Brian Thompson and are closing in on him, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was quoted as saying on Saturday by the New York Post. "The net is tightening," Adams told reporters at a Police Athletic League holiday party in Harlem, according to the Post. He declined to name the suspect. Adams was quoted by the Post as saying the police were withholding the suspect's name for now to deny him any advantage. “We don’t want to release that now,” the mayor said. “If you do, you are basically giving a tip to the person we are seeking and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask." "We revealed his face," he continued, referring to security camera photos and video released after the murder. "We’re going to reveal who he is and we’re going to bring him to justice.” Police divers were searching for the weapon used in the killing in a pond in Central Park on Saturday, CNN reported, citing police sources. Reuters has not independently verified the account.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN on Friday that police have gathered “a huge amount of evidence,” including fingerprints, DNA evidence and a camera footage of the suspect’s movements throughout the city. New York police said on Friday they believe the suspect had left New York City, after video emerged showing him climbing into a taxi that took him to a bus station. "We have video of him entering the Port Authority Bus Terminal. We don't have any video of him exiting so we believe he may have gotten on a bus," New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told CNN. "Those buses are interstate buses. That's why we believe he may have left New York City."

New Yorkers mockingly celebrated the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Washington Square Park with a truly tasteless shooter look-a-like contest — as the frantic manhunt for the brazen killer entered its fourth day. Eight contestants donning hooded outerwear and face masks were surrounded Friday by dozens of onlookers, whose cheers amounted to votes in the nose-thumbing stunt. The winner, whose green jacket and face covering made him a dead ringer for the cold-blooded assassin, said he headed toward the park after hearing about the contest that morning. “I got no looks until I got over here and now everyone wants a picture with me,” he told The Post.

“He’s the one,” one onlooker remarked as he was introduced as “contestant number six.” The wannabe doppelganger noted that he didn’t have to particularly dress up for the event, saying “I wear this everywhere.” His killer looks landed him $50. The champ said he’s had his own issues with health insurance companies covering some of his medications, although he admitted he is not a UnitedHealthcare customer. “People do not feel great about the current state of things in our world,” he commented about the unsympathetic response to the CEO’s shocking slaying. One of the contestants, who was firing off of a bubble gun, had a handwritten sign draped over their black clothing that read “Deny Defend Depose” — the three words the gunman scribbled on the shell casings he left at the scene.