New York shooting: Gunman caught on CCTV before UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed

This handout released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) shows the person wanted in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Photo / NYPD via AFP

Video footage shows Thompson on the sidewalk outside the New York Hilton Midtown when an unknown hooded suspect approaches from behind with a gun and fires several shots at his 50-year-old victim, who cowers on the ground.

CCTV footage showed the suspect then fleeing on foot, before getting on a bicycle – which police initially said may have been a rented e-bike. Police say he headed toward Central Park.

“All indications are that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny would not confirm reports that a silencer had been used on the gun and said the question would be part of the investigation, but he did confirm that a cell phone was recovered at the scene.

The Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan is where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot yesterday. Photo/Getty Images

Since no arrest has been made, there has been much speculation that the shooter sought revenge for the insurer’s unfavorable medical coverage decisions.

‘Saddened and shocked’

Thompson’s Minnesota-based wife Paulette Thompson told NBC News that he had received unspecified threats.

“There had actually been some threats. I don’t know – (about) a lack of coverage? I don’t know the details,” said Paulette Thompson, who had two children with her late husband.

Brian Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurers in the US.

In a statement, UnitedHealth Group – UHC’s parent company – said it was “deeply saddened and shocked.”

UnitedHealthcare is a major player in the lucrative U.S. health care market, offering workplace insurance and administering massive health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid for the elderly and low-income people, funded by state budgets.

The New York Police Department has shared photos of the alleged shooter.

Police remained at the scene of the murder, combing Manhattan’s iconic Central Park with dogs and drones.

“We have a large investigation agency. Multiple detectives may be working on the investigation at any given hour,” an NYPD spokesperson said.

“We will use all the resources we have.”

The spokesperson said no follow-up briefing was planned.

UnitedHealth Group had revenues of more than $100 billion in the third quarter of the year.

Thompson’s own compensation package in 2023 was $10.2 million, according to a regulatory filing.

He had served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare since April 2021, according to a separate Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Previously, he oversaw UnitedHealthcare’s government programs, including Medicare, from July 2019 to April 2021.

-Agence France-Presse