The The gunman who killed the CEO of America’s largest health insurance company… He may have left New York City on a bus shortly after the brazen attack that rocked corporate America, police officials said. But he left something behind: a backpack that was found in Central Park.
Nearly four days after the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, police still do not have the gunman’s name or address or a motive for the killing. Investigators were looking into whether the shooter could have been a disgruntled employee or a client of the insurer, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney told reporters.
The FBI announced Friday night that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Kenney said the gunman who fled Wednesday’s shooting was seen riding a bicycle in Central Park and then taking a taxi to a bus terminal serving passengers on the New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C., Kenney said.
Police have video of the man entering the bus station but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he may have left town, Kenney said.
Investigators found a backpack in the park Friday that the gunman was wearing when he opened fire, police said, after a massive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and woods.
Police did not immediately disclose, if anything, but it will be analyzed for clues. The gunman made sure to conceal his identity with a mask during most of his time in the city, including during the attack and while eating, but left a trail of evidence in the country’s largest city and its network of security cameras.
The gunman arrived in New York City on November 24 and shot Thompson 10 days later outside his company’s annual investor conference at a hotel a few blocks from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. The gunman got off a bus that started in Atlanta and made several stops along the way, Kenney said. It is not clear where he got on the bus.
Investigators have a list of passengers, but none of them were required to provide ID when they boarded the ship, Kenney said. Investigators believe the suspect had a fake identification card and paid cash, Kenney said, when he checked into the hostel, which has a cafe with shared and private rooms and is blocks from Columbia University.
Investigators have tested discarded water bottles and protein bar wrappers in search of his DNA. They were trying to get more information from a cellphone found on the gunman’s escape route.
Photos of the suspected shooter taken in the lobby of a hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side appear to be from when he removed his mask, Kenney said.
Photos show a man smiling in the lobby of the HI New York City Hostel. Those are among a collection of photos and videos circulated since the shooting — including footage of the attack, as well as images of the suspected gunman already inside the Starbucks.
“From every indication we had from witnesses, from Starbucks, from the hostel, he always kept his mask on except for one instance where we photographed him with the mask on,” Kenney said. Even her roommates in the hostel said they did not talk to her. A search of the suspected shooter’s hotel room turned up nothing of investigative value.
Asked how close police felt to making an arrest, Kenney said, “This is not ‘Blue Bloods.’ And it’s going to be presented to a jury, so we’re going to take our time, get it right and get justice for this victim and bring closure to his family.”
Security video of the shooting shows the killer approaching Thompson from behind, firing several shots with a silencer-equipped gun, barely stopping to clear the jam while the executive falls to the pavement.
Police were investigating the possibility that the weapon was a veterinary pistol, a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches if an animal must be quietly euthanized, Kenney said — though he stressed that has not been confirmed.
The words “delay,” “reject” and “deposit” were scrawled on the ammunition, one word on each of the three bullets, Kenney said. A law enforcement official said earlier Associated Press The words were “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” The messages reflect the “delay, deny, defend” phrase commonly used by lawyers and critics of insurers who delay payment, deny claims and defend their actions.
Thompson, a father of two who lives in suburban Minneapolis, had been with UnitedHealthcare in Minnesota since 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years. The insurer’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was holding its annual meeting for investors in New York.
The company abruptly ended the conference after Thompson’s death.
UnitedHealth Group said it is focused on supporting Thompson’s family, ensuring the safety of employees and assisting investigators. “While our hearts are broken, we are touched by the great tide,” the company said.
UnitedHealthcare provides coverage to more than 49 million Americans. It administers health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.
In October, UnitedHealthcare was named along with Humana and CVS in a Senate report detailing how the denial rate of prior authorizations for some Medicare Advantage patients has increased in recent years.
The firing has particularly shaken the health insurance industry, forcing companies to reevaluate safety plans and delete photos of executives from their websites. A different Minnesota-based health care company said Friday it is temporarily closing its offices out of an abundance of caution, asking employees to work from home.