What we’re covering
• The suspected gunman who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson traveled by Greyhound bus from Atlanta to New York before the shooting, a law enforcement source said. Authorities also said the suspect used a fake New Jersey driver’s license to check into a Upper West Side hostel.
• Smiling photos showing a man police consider a suspect may have provided a significant clue as he lowered his mask during a flirtatious moment with a New York hostel clerk, CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst reported on Thursday.
• The words “delay” and “depose” were found on a live round and shell casing, according to law enforcement sources. Authorities also found a phone and bottle of water that may have been dropped by the gunman. Police were able to get one fingerprint off of the water bottle but it’s smudged, an official told CNN.
• The shooter’s motive is unclear. But a source told CNN that UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, America’s largest insurance company, was aware of threats against its executives.
Flirtatious moment captured on camera offers police clues to possible CEO shooting suspect’s identity
The NYPD released photos of surveillance footage on Thursday showing a man smiling who police believe is a suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, providing a “significant clue” to investigators, according to John Miller, CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst.
The man lowers “his mask and gives a big smile,” Miller said — a flirtatious moment between the man and a female employee at a hostel on New York’s Upper West Side.
Video shows what appears to be the suspected gunman on West 55th Street before the fatal shooting
Video shows what appears to be the suspected gunman in the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing on West 55th street in New York City before the fatal shooting.
The suspect can be seen stopping by a pile of trash nearly 30 seconds into the video.
Suspect who shot United Healthcare CEO traveled by bus from Atlanta to New York, source says
The suspect in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson traveled via Greyhound bus from Atlanta to New York before the shooting, multiple law enforcement sources told CNN.
That bus started its route in Atlanta, the sources said. Authorities do not know whether the suspect boarded in Atlanta or elsewhere, the sources said.
A Greyhound spokesperson said the company is “fully cooperating with authorities on this active investigation,” adding that it can’t give any more details at the moment.
Police believe the gunman arrived in New York City on November 24, 10 days before the shooting, a law enforcement official told CNN. He arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan and then went to the hostel. After that, he appears to move around the city, the official said.
The suspect checked out of the hostel on November 29, the law enforcement official said. He checked back into the hostel on November 30, multiple law enforcement sources previously told CNN.
The suspected gunman paid the hostel in cash, according to the official. He checked into the hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side using a fake New Jersey driver’s license, a law enforcement official previously told CNN.
Police still don’t know where he acquired the e-bike he used to flee the scene.
Among the interviews they’ve been conducting, law enforcement interviewed a female employee at the hostel who said, at one point, she asked the then masked man to lower his mask while flirting with him — which is when the photos released by the New York Police Department today were captured, the official said.
CNN’s Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.
CNN traces suspected gunman after CEO killing
CNN retraced the steps of the man suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.
Video shows the suspect stopping at Starbucks moments before the crime and fleeing the scene on an e-bike into Central Park. Police are still searching for the gunman.
Suspect who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO used a fake ID to check into hostel, official says
The suspected gunman in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson used a fake New Jersey driver’s license when checking into the Upper West Side hostel, according to a law enforcement official.
Multiple law enforcement officials tell CNN that the ID was used to check in on November 30.
NYPD searched Central Park for shooter’s missing gray backpack, but have not yet found it, official says
The New York Police Department launched a massive search of Central Park on Wednesday for the missing gray backpack worn by the shooter who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a senior law enforcement official tells CNN.
Police deployed mobile field forces to conduct a grid search, looking through garbage cans, dumpsters and bushes in search of the missing backpack.
But despite the extensive search, investigators have not located the backpack and do not know what was inside the backpack and if it contained the weapon.
The search was initiated after detectives reviewed video from a security camera of the man they believe is the suspect leaving the park through the West 77th Street exit, no longer wearing the backpack seen on the shooter before the shooting when he ordered a bottle of water at Starbucks, during the shooting, and afterwards as he rode into the park on an electric bike, the official said.
CNN has obtained footage of what appears to be the suspect nearby on West 85th street at around 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Investigators also reviewed footage from a hostel on the Upper West Side, where they believe the shooter may have been staying, in which the suspected gunman is wearing the same hooded jacket as seen in the other videos but is wearing a different backpack with a black strap over his shoulder.
Video shows what appears to be the suspected gunman after the shooting on West 85th Street
Video shows what appears to be the suspect in the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing on New York City’s West 85th Street at around 7 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Law enforcement tells CNN they have seen the video and think the video likely shows the gunman.
This video marks the latest in the day we have seen the suspect on Wednesday.
A timeline of everything we know so far in the shooting
Police are using video surveillance to piece together the alleged gunman’s movements before, during and after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday.
Some key moments:
- 6:15 a.m. ET: A surveillance camera image appears to show the suspect in the United Healthcare CEO’s murder leaving the 57th Street F train station before the shooting. The image was recorded at 6:15 a.m. Investigators believe that the suspect may have taken a subway from the Upper West Side to midtown.
- 6:17 a.m. ET: Video at a nearby Starbucks shows the assailant buying a bottle of water and two energy bars roughly 30 minutes before the shooting, according to police.
- 6:30 a.m. ET: Around 6:30 a.m., surveillance video captured what appears to be the gunman on the phone.
- 6:44 a.m. ET: Thompson walked toward the Hilton Midtown after leaving his hotel across the street, police said. The masked gunman was “lying in wait” outside the Hilton as Thompson made his way to the hotel to attend his company’s annual investor conference, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The gunman came up behind Thompson and shot him in the back, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said. He then walked toward Thompson and continued to shoot, stopping to clear a gun jam before firing again, Kenny said.
These factors are aiding and hindering police as they search for the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer
Authorities are scouring the concrete jungle of New York City for traces of the masked gunman they say shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a bold and brazen attack more than 24 hours ago.
City police are tasked with tracing the assailant’s steps, combing through a mountain of surveillance video and examining evidence he may have left behind throughout the city and at the scene of the shooting in midtown Manhattan.
Here are some of the developments that may work in investigators’ favor:
- Photos and video: Police say they have surveillance video of the shooting, though it shows the gunman masked. Video helped investigators determine the suspect’s first moves after the shooting, police said. Police also have released photos of a “person of interest wanted for questioning” wearing a hooded jacket and no mask. CNN has geolocated the two images to the location of a hostel located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where investigators have said they believe a suspect may have been staying, and which investigators have searched. Police also have released photos showing someone they say is the suspect at a nearby Starbucks, taken less than 30 minutes before the incident.
- Possible witnesses: At the hostel in Manhattan, the suspect is believed to have stayed in a multi-person room with two other males, a law enforcement source said.
- Potential sources of DNA and other ID info: Authorities found a phone and bottle of water near the scene of the shooting, investigators told CNN on condition of anonymity. These items might have belonged to the gunman and may have been dropped as he left the shooting scene, the investigators said.
- Hints about the shooter’s thoughts: The words “delay” and “depose” were found on a live round and shell casing tied to the shooter, law enforcement sources told CNN. Police are exploring whether the words indicate a motive, pointing to a popular phrase in the insurance industry: “delay, deny, defend.” As for methods: “Even (the shooter’s) arrival at the site, 5 or 10 minutes before the target gets there, indicates possibly some level of surveillance or intelligence that he was using to know to go to the exact right place at the exact right time,” Andrew McCabe, a former FBI deputy director, told CNN Thursday morning.
But there are also factors working against police:
- Evasion: Footage shows the suspect rode a bike toward Central Park shortly after the shooting, according to police, who have not mentioned any footage of him after that. The suspect could have taken steps in the park to evade detection, such as changing into a different set of clothes, McCabe said.
- Needle in a haystack: The biggest challenge for the NYPD, McCabe and police have said, is tracing the movements of one person in a city populated with more than 8 million people.
Police have gotten a fingerprint off of water bottle left at shooting site but it’s smudged, official says
Police have been able to get one fingerprint off of the water bottle that the suspected gunman left behind at the site of the shooting — but it’s smudged, making it less conclusive, a law enforcement official told CNN.
Police are also still trying to get into a phone left behind, the official said.
Since authorities released the maskless photos of a “person of interest wanted for questioning,” police are getting many more tips that they have to sift through. It is currently not clear if any of those tips have produced helpful leads, according to the official.
New York City mayor says investigation into UnitedHealthcare CEO killing is moving “at a steady pace”
New York City’s mayor told MSNBC on Thursday that investigators are “on the right pathway” in finding the person who shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The manhunt for the suspected gunman is now stretching into its second day. Thompson was shot outside a midtown Manhattan hotel on Wednesday morning.
Eric Adams told the network he was briefed by New York Police Department officials this morning and said they are finding more “pieces to the puzzle.”
Adams, a former NYPD captain, reiterated that the shooting was a “targeted shooting,” specifically pointing out the detail that the suspected shooter appeared to use a silencer on the gun.
“In all of my years of law enforcement, I have never seen a silencer before and so that was really something that was shocking to us all,” he said.
Many companies spend millions to protect their top executives
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had an in-house security detail assigned to him during his trip to New York City, according to a source familiar with the company’s security, but the detail wasn’t with him when he was shot and killed in front of a hotel early Wednesday morning.
It’s common for top executives of major corporations to have personal security provided by their companies. Those measures are often significant expenses listed in corporate filings, though UnitedHealth Group — UnitedHealthcare’s corporate parent — doesn’t break out the cost in its own filings.
The need to protect the safety of top officers, and the cost of doing so has risen over the years — particularly for those high-profile executives whose businesses often generate controversy or criticism, such as health care. Most companies list the risk of the loss of their top executive, through death or other less dramatic departure, as a risk factor for investors to consider.
Multiple major healthcare providers began increasing personal protection around top executives Wednesday following the shooting, security industry sources told CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst John Miller.
A spokesperson for UnitedHealth declined to provide details about security related to Thompson or why the security team wasn’t with him Wednesday morning. But a former senior security director at another major insurance company told CNN that it can often be difficult to get executives to accept security, even when there are threats.
Read more about the security measures.
NYPD releases new images of unmasked “person of interest wanted for questioning” over CEO’s killing
The New York City Police Department released new photos showing what it says is a “person of interest wanted for questioning” over Wednesday’s killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The person is unmasked inside a hostel on the Upper West Side in New York City.
CNN has geolocated the two images to the hostel’s location. Police earlier searched the hostel where they believe the suspect may have been staying.
It was an extensive video canvass that led police to the area of the hostel, a police official tells CNN. There, employees remember a man wearing a hooded jacket identical to the suspected shooter’s, and who almost never lowered his mask or hood. Police are calling this man a person of interest until they can identify him and confirm or eliminate him as a possible suspect.
“All indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack,” police reiterated in an X post.
CNN’s John Miller contributed reporting to this post.
Police have so far captured one usable image of suspect without a mask, law enforcement sources say
Law enforcement sources have revealed that police have found one usable image of the suspect who shot United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Thursday.
Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN the shooter appeared to wear a mask most of the time that he was staying at the hostel on 103rd and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan.
But, they have so far captured just one usable image where he isn’t wearing a mask there.
The shooter stayed in a multi-person room with two other males, one law enforcement source said.
New information about the shooting has come to light this morning. Here’s what we know
As New York City police continue to search for the suspect who fatally shot United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday morning, new information is coming to light.
Here’s what we know so far:
- Police have searched a hostel in upper Manhattan where they believe the gunman may have been staying.
- “Delay” and “depose” were found on a live round and shell casing tied to the shooter, law enforcement sources told CNN. Police are exploring whether the words indicate a motive, pointing to a popular phrase in the insurance industry: “delay, deny, defend.”
- Detectives believe the shooter operated in a way that indicated he may be an experienced marksman.
- Authorities also found a phone and bottle of water that might have been dropped by the gunman as he ran through the alley.
- Major health care providers have increased personal protection for top executives following the shooting.
Police have searched a hostel in upper Manhattan where gunman may have been staying
Police have searched a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan where they believe the suspect may have been staying.
Further details of what the search turned up were not immediately clear.
New York City councilman says police are working to apprehend suspect heading into holiday season
Keith Powers, a New York City Council member said the attack on UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday was “scary” for New Yorkers, and that authorities were working to apprehend the suspect heading into the holiday period.
“It’s scary because it really feels like it was a plotted out attempt to, and obviously, to take someone’s life,” Powers told CNN on Thursday morning.
When asked whether authorities had enough footage to track down the suspect after he disappeared into New York’s Central Park, Powers said police had been recovering footage to trace his steps.
He added that authorities are working around the clock to identify the suspect ahead of the holiday season, and wants to assure visitors to the city that it is safe to visit.
Law enforcement sources acknowledge words on a live round and shell casing to CNN
Police are combing through surveillance video and examining clues the gunman may have left while fleeing the scene of the shooting.
The words “delay” and “depose” were found on a live round and a shell casing tied to the shooter who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, law enforcement sources told CNN on Thursday.
ABC News earlier reported on three words found on the bullet casings.
Law enforcement sources told CNN “depose” was written on a shell casing from a round that was fired into the victim. “Delay” was written on a live round that was ejected when the shooter appeared to be clearing a jam.
Police are exploring whether the words found indicate a motive, pointing to a popular phrase in the insurance industry: “delay, deny, defend.”
“This is not a professional killer,” Bounty hunter says of UnitedHealthcare CEO gunman
A Bounty hunter has told CNN he believed the individual who shot dead UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday was not a professional killer but rather, “has some psychological issues.”
Zeke Unger, a liaison to the US Marshals told CNN the shooter’s mannerisms did not reflect those of a professional killer.
“I believe that the individual, by looking at the footage, had some psychological issues. That this is a revenge shooting,” he said.
Major health insurance providers increase personal protection for top executives
Following the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, multiple major healthcare providers began increasing personal protection around their top executives.
Police are likely examining critical evidence from the scene, notably shell casings and bullets
Investigators are likely analyzing key pieces of evidence related to the weapon used to kill the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on Wednesday morning.
Shell casings and the bullets left behind at the scene can give investigators crucial information, CNN security correspondent Josh Campbell said.
CEO Brian Thompson was walking to the Midtown hotel when the gunman approached from behind and shot him at least once in the back and once in the right calf, NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said earlier Wednesday. Police said the shooter fired multiple shots, even unjamming the gun at one point, before firing again.
In addition to NYPD, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) might also be assisting with identifying the markings on the casings and the bullets, Campbell said.
Officials then run their findings through a database to determine if it is a firearm that was used in a past crime, Campbell said. That is something investigators will want to rule out.
How it works: The AFT uses specialized equipment to produce high resolution, 3D images of the headstamp and extraction marks on a shell casings.
The headstamp refers to the indentation a gun’s firing pin leaves on the end of a shell casing as a bullet is fired. Extraction marks are the result of metal-on-metal friction as a gun ejects an empty ammunition cartridge after the trigger is pressed.
The examiner then uploads the digital images into the ATF database and another examiner begins comparing the images to other shell casings recovered from crime scenes. If a computer algorithm identifies a potential match, the examiner will overlay the two images to further compare each shell casing’s microscopic features, ATF special agent Sam Ward told CNN previously.
What we know about the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in Manhattan
Police are searching for the man who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as he walked to a hotel hosting his company’s annual investor conference on Wednesday morning.
- The investigation: Detectives found a phone in the alley the gunman ran through that may have belonged to him. They also found a bottle of water that they believe the suspect bought at a Starbucks shortly before the shooting. The suspect was seen on video before the shooting carrying what appeared to be a battery for an electric bike. Investigators believe that the shooter may have taken a subway from the Upper West Side to Midtown and are looking into whether the electric bike he used to flee was pre-positioned nearby.
- An experienced shooter: Police recovered three live 9mm rounds and three discharged 9mm shell casings from the scene. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found on the casings, ABC News reported, citing police sources. Detectives believe the gunman operated in a way that suggested he was an experienced marksman, police officials told CNN. The shooter also used what appeared to be a silencer on the gun.
- Threats to Thompson: The motive remains unclear, but Paulette Thompson told NBC News there had been “some threats” against her husband. A source told CNN that there were concerning threats against UnitedHealth Group. Thompson’s name was not mentioned, but the threats did talk about going after high-level executives.
- Security team: Thompson was named UnitedHealthcare CEO in 2021. The company is part of UnitedHealth Group, America’s largest insurance company. A source said the entire leadership team at UnitedHealth Group is supported by an in-house security team, which was at Wednesday’s event.
- Call for information: Police are encouraging anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. NYPD Crime Stoppers has announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter. Police believe that the gunman is a “light-skinned male” who was last seen in Central Park early on Wednesday morning. He was wearing “a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a very distinctive gray backpack.”
Analysis: Chilling surveillance video holds clues about skilled marksman targeting CEO
A gunman steps from the shadows behind a parked SUV just as UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson walks by, oblivious to the assassin lying in wait.
Surveillance video shows the gunman quickly raising his pistol and firing, striking Thompson from behind. The insurance company CEO goes to the ground as a bystander flees — the shooter paying the bystander no attention.
If this was a targeted attack as officials say, the ability of the shooter to predict Thompson’s early morning movements will be key to identifying a psychological profile and motive of the apparent assassin.
The graphic video appears to depict a gunman with at least some sophistication in using a firearm equipped with a suppressor device that muzzles the loud sound of gunfire.
While a standard semi-automatic handgun is designed to repeatedly fire rounds with each press of the trigger, the apparent attachment of a suppressor appears to require more intervention by the shooter to manually prepare each round to be fired, which he handles deftly.
At one point in the video, the gun seemingly jams, and the shooter quickly resolves the malfunction and continues to fire before fleeing.
The method of attack, posture of the shooter, and his ability to quickly resolve the gun’s malfunction depict a skilled marksman.
Members of law enforcement and the military, for example, routinely practice so-called “immediate action drills” — tests to see how quickly an officer in a simulated gunfight can clear a weapon of a malfunction and then rapidly get the firearm back on target and ready to fire.
As NYPD officials continue to build out their profile of the shooter, the second-by-second clues visible in the chilling final moments of Thompson’s life provide insight into the actions of a gunman who was not new to the use of a firearm in a high-stress situation. It raises questions about whether he was acting on his own grievances or as a trained assassin enlisted by someone else.
Words found on shell casings at the scene of Brian Thompson shooting, ABC News reports
The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found on the shell casings discovered at the scene where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot, ABC News reported, citing police sources.
CNN has reached out to the New York Police Department, who declined to comment.
A motive for the shooting remains unclear.
Here’s a timeline of how the shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO unfolded, according to police
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, where his company’s annual investors’ conference was scheduled to take place.
He walked across a street toward the hotel more than an hour before the conference’s scheduled start time — and was gunned down during his brief commute, the New York Police Department said.
Here’s the rest of the timeline:
- At 6:44 a.m. Thompson walked toward the Hilton after leaving his hotel across the street, Kenny said. The gunman came up behind Thompson and shot him in the back, he said. “The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” Kenny said.
- At 6:46 a.m. “patrol officers from Midtown North Precinct responded to a 911 call of a person shot in front of the Hilton hotel located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. This is between West 53rd Street and West 54th Street,” the chief said.
- At 6:48 a.m. officers arrived and found Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. He was taken to the hospital by EMS.
- After the shooting, the gunman fled “northbound into an alleyway between 54th Street and 55th Street,” walked west on Avenue of the Americas and eventually got onto an e-bike.
- Also at 6:48 a.m. the suspect rode the bike into Central Park, Kenny said.
- At 7:12 a.m. Thompson was prounounced dead at the hospital, Kenny said.
What we know about Brian Thompson’s career
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday in what New York police called a “brazen, targeted attack,” was a longtime leader in corporate America, a model student and star high school athlete — and he had been caught up in a high-profile insider trading lawsuit this year.
Thompson, 50, lived in Minnesota and was visiting New York for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investors conference before he was killed.
Here’s what to know:
Career: Thompson was appointed chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in 2021 and had been at the company since 2004. Prior to being named chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson worked as CEO of the company’s government programs business, which includes its Medicare and retirement businesses. UnitedHealthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group, America’s largest insurance company.
Education: Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting. He graduated as valedictorian, according to his LinkedIn. He was a Collegiate Scholar, Carver Scholar, State of Iowa Scholar and Faculty Scholar. Thompson graduated from South Hamilton High School in Jewell, Iowa, in 1993.
Allegations of fraud: Thompson in May was sued for alleged fraud and illegal insider trading. The Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, CEO Andrew Witty, Executive Chairman Stephen Hemsley and Thompson, alleging the executives schemed to inflate the company’s stock by failing to disclose a US Justice Department antitrust investigation into the company. The lawsuit claimed Thompson knew about the investigation as early as October 2023 and sold 31% of his company shares, making a $15 million profit, 11 days before the Wall Street Journal reported the probe, sending UnitedHealth’s stock sinking 5%.
