Mystery is surrounding the shooting of Brian Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in New York City.
Why was the millionaire CEO targeted? Why is it that America is appears to be rooting against his insurance company, UnitedHealthcare? What does his killer’s cryptic message on the bullets mean?
These are just some of the questions being asked while police close in on the suspect’s identity, more three days after the attack.
Here is everything we know so far – from details about Thompson’s life to a possible motive.
- Brian Thompson was shot in the back and leg shortly before 7am
- Police say gunman lay in wait and weapon jammed during attack
- NYC Mayor Eric Adams says police investigation suggests shooting was targeted, not random
- Suspect fled on foot before getting onto an e-bike
- Suspect last seen in Central Park on Central Drive, police say
- CCTV footage shows a man wearing a grey backpack
- UnitedHealthcare Group is cancelling its conference and other events
- Thompson had been UnitedHealthcare CEO since April 2021
- As part of his role he oversaw government programs including Medicare & Retirement and Community & State
- His wife Paulette Thompson told NBC News he had been receiving threats
- Police are now offering a $10,000 reward (£7,866) for information
Who is Brian Thompson?
A husband and a father of two and a longtime leader in Corporate America.
Thompson served in numerous executive positions at UnitedHealth Group since joining the company in 2004, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He was promoted to CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021 and oversaw government health insurance plans and Medicare Advantage which are private plans.
Previously, he worked at the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers for seven years.
He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a degree in business administration and accounting.
Where did the shooting happen?
Thompson was killed in the heart of New York, as he walked from his hotel to the company’s annual investor conference in Midtown.
The shooting happened in the early hours of Wednesday morning, blocks from tourist attractions like Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Centre.
Footage shows the assassin approaching his victim from behind, levelling his gun, which had a silencer, and firing several shots, hitting him in the back and leg.
Moments later, police said he fled on a bicycle and was last seen riding up to Sixth Avenue and into Central Park where he was last seen at 6.48am.
What does ‘deny, defend, despose’ mean? Bullet casings explained
Police are still working to determine the motive behind the murder of the dad-of-two, but a cryptic message on bullets found at the scene may offer a clue.
The words ‘deny,’ ‘defend’ and ‘depose’ were found on the ammunition.
The messages mimic the phrase ‘delay, deny, defend’, which is commonly used by lawyers and insurance industry critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims.
It refers to insurers delaying payment, denying a claim and then defending their actions.
A 2010 book by insurance law expert Professor Jay M Fienman was titled ‘Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claim and What You Can Do About’.
Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become frequent targets of criticism from doctors and patients for denying claims or complicating access to care.
Why do people hate UnitedHealthcare?
For a lot of Americans, Thompson’s killing was not a harrowing tragedy, but a symbol of the much-despised health insurance industry.
UnitedHealthcare is the biggest such company in the country, providing coverage for more than 52 million people around the world in 2023.
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Under Thompson, it has been targeted with lawsuits from regulators and lawmakers over its alleged draconian practice to deny payouts to people to raise its profits.
Recent data indicates that it denies approximately one-third of submitted claims, a much higher proportion than many of its competitors.
The company has also been accused of using of artificial intelligence to assess – and deny – health claims.
Last November, the estates of two former patients filed suit in Minnesota alleging that UnitedHealthcare used an AI algorithm to deny and override claims to elderly patients that had been approved by their doctors.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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