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Shop NowThe suspect managed to get away clean, after murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He was calm and casual through the whole thing, even when his gun jammed. Police are convinced he knew what he was doing and may have been a professional. According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, “this does not appear to be a random act of violence. Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”
Suspect on the loose
Shortly before the assassination, security footage at a nearby Starbucks caught the suspect enjoying his morning java. He didn’t appear overly concerned about anything. UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson never saw his killer, who shot him in the back. And several other places.
His wife relates that there have been threats against him recently but he apparently wasn’t taking any special precautions. UnitedHealthcare happens to be listed as “the largest private insurer in the United States.”
The fatal shooting happened just before 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, December 4. The suspect was obviously expecting 50-year-old Thompson, ambushing him “outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where he was scheduled to speak at an investor conference.”
Paramedics did what they could for Thompson at the scene and shipped him off to the nearest trauma center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The weather was cold enough that the suspect didn’t appear out of place wearing a ski mask and fashionable cream colored jacket. NYPD can’t blame local armed robbers because “nothing was taken from the victim.” It’s not immediately clear what the motive was but it likely involved Thompson’s work with the health insurance giant.
Last year, he paid taxes on a $10.2 million salary. He worked his way up through the ranks to the CEO slot, which he took in April 2021. He’s been working at the company since 2004 “and has held multiple leadership roles, including CEO of the company’s government programs division.”
Escape to Central Park
With their keynote speaker shot dead on the sidewalk, UnitedHealth Group quickly canceled its investor conference. They didn’t say much but everyone had already heard the news.
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation,” Andrew Witty announced. He’s top administrator for parent company UnitedHealth Group. Everyone involved is wondering how the suspect could manage to slip away from the scene and elude police so easily.
Witnesses relate that the suspect was waiting for Thompson to come out of his hotel across from where the conference was being held. The killer crept up behind the unsuspecting executive and opened fire. “The assassin reportedly stayed calm during the execution and stopped to clear the gun after it jammed.” He then fired some more.
When his clip was empty, he briskly walked away and turned the nearest corner, losing himself in the morning crowd of pedestrians.
After turning another corner, he grabbed one of the public electric bikes and scooted off into Central Park. That was a great way of giving surveillance cameras the slip.
Police were quick to assure the public that because the shooting was clearly a hit on Thompson it “would not affect the annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.” The televised event scheduled for Wednesday evening is only a few blocks from the crime scene and typically “draws large crowds of tourists.” The suspect could be anywhere by now.
