UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson murder manhunt enters 4th day

An area in Central Park near Rumsey Playfield in New York, N.Y., Saturday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

A New York Police Department dive team trawled a Central Park pond Saturday, searching for more leads in the manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's assassin.

The divers were seen behind an area cordoned off with police tape beside Bethesda Fountain in a body of water known as the Lake near the park's boathouse.

Near the bandshell and about 20 feet from one of the park's crowded walkways, crime scene tape still surrounded the spot where a backpack believed to belong to the shooter was found Friday. 

Read the full article about the NYPD investigation by Christina Coulter

A retired FBI special agent explained why authorities have not yet released the name of the suspected killer who gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday in New York City.

"Releasing the suspect’s name prematurely could tip them off and compromise the NYPD and FBI’s efforts during both the fugitive and criminal investigations," Jason Pack told Fox News Digital.

"For instance, if officers are closing in on the suspect, publicly outing his name could prompt him to flee, risking the chance of missing him at his current location."

Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder by Stepheny Price

An NYPD officer searches Central Park in New York City on Saturday. (Source: Peter Gerber)

The New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed to a local news outlet that it has officers in Atlanta, as its investigation into the UnitedHealthcare CEO slaying continues.

The NYPD told Atlanta-based WSB-TV that it has officers on the ground in the Peach State. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters that authorities are investigating whether the gunman was a UnitedHealthcare client or a disgruntled employee.

The gunman left shell casings with the words "deny," "depose" and "delay," at the scene of the murder, echoing the phrase "delay, deny, defend," which is derisive of the health care industry. An NYPD detective told Fox News Digital Thursday the words were "clearly intentionally left to make a statement."

Fox News Digital's Christina Coulter contributed to this report.

New York authorities are actively investigating the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Source: Peter Gerber)

New York investigators have reportedly uncovered new information about the gray backpack linked to the Brian Thompson murder.

Bloomberg reported on Saturday that the backpack contained a jacket, not a gun. The outlet was told the information by at least two sources, who did not offer any additional details.

It is unconfirmed if the backpack was the same backpack that the suspect wore during the murder, which was captured by a surveillance camera.

NBC News also reported Saturday that Monopoly money was found in the backpack.

Philip Holloway spoke to Fox News Digital about the search for CEO Brian Thompson's killer. (Source: Peter Gerber)

As the search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killer enters a fourth day, detectives across the country are working overtime to gather information that will bring the suspect to justice.

Thompson, who was shot outside a New York City hotel just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, died less than 30 minutes later. Detectives are investigating a number of clues the suspect left behind, including a backpack, a water bottle, a phone and shell casings.

Philip Holloway, an attorney and legal analyst with a background in law enforcement, broke down what New York and federal investigators might be thinking during an interview with Fox News Digital Saturday.

Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder by Andrea Margolis and Jon Street

During an interview on "Fox News Live" Saturday, Fox News contributor and former Washington, D.C., homicide detective Ted Williams expressed optimism about the search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killer.

"I can tell you behind the scene, I believe the walls are beginning to close in on this wannabe professional hitman," Williams explained to host Eric Shawn. "The FBI has now, as you stated, joined this search. And I think it's only a matter of time before they catch him. The picture that they have of him is now posted all over this country."

Williams stressed that the FBI's involvement in the search will draw the investigation to a close sooner.

"New York's facial recognition technology is limited to New York. But now that the FBI is involved, now they can go into a national database," the former detective described. "And that's going to be very meaningful and helpful to this investigation."

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information about the murder suspect.

Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro appeared on "Fox News Live" on Saturday to discuss the ongoing investigation into the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mauro, who visited the crime scene and retraced the shooter's steps, addressed several images of the shooter that have perplexed officers -- such as how he acquired a bike when he was seen exiting a subway station without one, and how he got off an F train, which does not service the Upper West Side where he was staying.

"[The evidence] would argue that he had to sort of purposely try to obfuscate his movements by taking a series of trains to get off in that spot," Mauro said. "Shows a little stagecraft, despite the fact that he might have had a little bit of insight into how to try to avoid being detected, etc."

The retired police officer also said that the suspect "made a lot of mistakes" and disputes the idea that he was a hit man.

"I would pour a lot of water on the idea that he was a professional," Mauro said. "This idea that you can walk into a social club or something and hire a hit man, it just doesn't happen."

"He came in ten days ahead of time. Maybe he's done a little bit of reading. He did a little bit of planning. It's possible he had an accomplice."

Investigators from the New York Police Department (NYPD) were observed in Central Park on Saturday, as the search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killer continues into day four.

Video taken by Fox News Digital shows officers around a roped-off part of Bethesda Fountain. The usually-crowded part of Bethesda Terrace was nearly empty as police continue their search.

Officers believe that the murder suspect immediately biked into Central Park after the killing and discarded evidence. He is believed to have left New York City soon after Thompson's death.

Fox News Digital's Christina Coulter contributed to this report.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., talks with West Point cadets in the senate subway on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized Americans who are downplaying the Dec. 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a social media post on Saturday.

In an X post, the Pennsylvania Democrat attached a screenshot of a New York Magazine article entitled "The United Healthcare Shooting Was Inevitable."

"No shortage of shitty takes on the 2024 election or on this assassination," Fetterman said. "The public execution of an innocent man and father of two is indefensible, not 'inevitable.'"

"Condoning and cheering this on says more about YOU than the situation of health insurance."

Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said police are making a "Herculean effort" to track down the masked assailant who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City before he fled to whereabouts unknown.

Kelly praised the work of the NYPD, along with the Atlanta Police Department, which is cooperating with the investigation since authorities believe the gunman fled south to Atlanta.

"I can't believe that with the coverage of his picture, he must have been on the front page of every newspaper in America and certainly on TV stations, that somebody is not going to identify this person," said Kelly. 

"I think it's just a matter of time" before the shooter is identified, he added. 

"Also, I think it's interesting that the shooter knew almost precisely when the victim was coming into that door. So, has there been an accomplice? Was there an accomplice to the tip off as to when Mr. Thompson was coming across the street? These are all questions that are very much out there. But I think the NYPD is doing a pretty good job, as you say, in gathering a lot of information." 

A sign reading "Whistling Pines" stands in the Minnesota neighborhood of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealth who was recently slain in New York City. (Fox News Digital)

Residents of Brian Thompson's neighborhood are quietly supporting his family as they grieve.

A source tells Fox News Digital the neighbors in a group text have all agreed not to speak to the press out of sensitivity to Thompson's family as they mourn their loss. The community is heartbroken and is banding together to support the family through this difficult time, the source said.

Thompson, 50, was killed early Wednesday morning in front of the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

In an ambush caught on surveillance video, a gunman dressed in head-to-toe black and covering his face aimed a pistol with a silencer at Thompson at 6:46 a.m. Wednesday outside the Midtown Hilton Hotel and shot the executive three times.

Among the clues investigators were sifting through were a phone dropped in the alley that the shooter used to flee the scene, which the NYPD pulled fingerprints from and was scouring for data; a water bottle left at a Starbucks near the scene of the murder, which the suspect paid for in cash; the words "deny," "depose" and "defend" left behind on shell casings at the scene; and images showing the full face of a person of interest in the case at a hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where sources say the killer used a fake ID and paid for a room in cash the night before the shooting.

Authorities were running DNA and fingerprint analysis on items found near the scene, including the water bottle and burner phone, but there are reports a fingerprint on the bottle is smudged, police sources told Fox News.

Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette Thompson, and their two children.

Fox News Digital's Christina Coulter contributed to this update.

Mayor Eric Adams is pictured during a press conference at City Hall in New York City, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Authorities are getting close to catching the masked gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said Saturday.

"The net is tightening," the mayor told reporters at a Police Athletic League holiday party in Harlem, the New York Post reported.

Those comments came as a manhunt for the killer stretches into its fourth day.

Thompson, 50, was shot and killed in what police are calling a "premeditated, targeted attack."

Authorities have not revealed a motive, but bullet casings at the scene were found with the words "deny", "depose" and "defend" written on them — a possible reference to the book "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It" — leading to speculation that the killing may have come out of resentment for a denied claim.

Police said Friday that the suspect had likely left New York for Atlanta, Georgia, as investigators continue searching for evidence. The suspect is believed to have arrived in New York from Atlanta before the attack.

Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this update.

The UnitedHealthcare CEO killer's "many mistakes" rule out the possibility that he was a hired professional, a retired FBI agent told "Fox & Friends" on Saturday. 

Retired FBI agent Scott Duffey observed that the backpack recovered by investigators and clues including discarded materials, wrappers and bottles could create a DNA and possibly a fingerprint profile of the suspect. The fact that police believe the killer left New York City by bus may suggest authorities have a name they have not yet released to the public, he suggested.

"They are following every footstep," said Duffey. "And just from what we are seeing with regards to the video footage that's being provided to us, that they are able to make a pretty good assessment, 'Hey, he went in and didn't come out of that bus stop. Most likely he is on a bus out of town.'" 

But the mistakes and evidence the gunman left behind indicate likely omit the killer from being a professional, the retired agent added.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he is proficient. He has trained with with weapons. But I wouldn't put him in the professional category because of the many mistakes that have been made and law enforcement is going to exploit those." 

Dr. Darrin Porcher, a former NYPD lieutenant, said the police have far more information about the killer who murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson than they've released to the public.

Porcher predicted on "Fox & Friends Weekend" that it will be "days or even hours" before the suspect is apprehended, noting that he has "blinked on several occasions" and left evidence for investigators.

"I think that when we look at this backpack, for example, based on the puffiness it is clear that it is populated with items. And what's going to happen is the NYPD is going to transport that backpack to their crime scene lab in Jamaica, Queens, to conduct a forensic investigation on the items that are contained in that bag, because those items can be germane in establishing an idea for who the individual in question would be," said Porcher.

"[When we look at the killer at the hostel, he revealed his face when he pulled this mask down. And how that's important is you able to triangulate the eyes, the nose and the mouth for facial recognition," he added. "That's going to be significant in trying to establish who this individual is." 

Former Leader of a threat management team at UnitedHealth Group Jameson Ritter said that in cases like the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, targeted violence is a result of 'understandable escalation." 

In an interview on "Fox & Friends Weekend," Ritter explained that someone with a grievance can go through several stages before they take violent action, and it's the job of threat management professionals to prevent that escalation.

"So targeted violence, things like terrorism, active shooters, school shooters, workplace violence, domestic violence, all those things – it really is about a understandable escalation, a pathway to violence," Ritter said. 

"What we're looking at here is predatory violence or targeted violence, which is a deliberate decision to go from grievance to action through several understandable stages. And our job as security professionals [is[ try to move that timeline further and further away from an action of violence. So we can observe things like planning, surveillance, communications, what we might call leakage, where people are on social media or talking to friends and family about their intent or their grievance."

Ritter said it's possible the gunman may have communicated with others about his grievance or his intentions and that investigators will look for that.

"It's clear, at least from my perspective, that in many ways this is a very, very strong case of a grievance move to action." 

Democrats on a Senate subcommittee are accusing UnitedHealthcare Group of denying claims to a growing number of patients as it tried to leverage artificial intelligence to automate the process.

In an October report, "How Medicare Advantage Insurers Have Denied Patients Access to Post-Acute Care," Democrats on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report claiming UnitedHealthcare’s prior authorization denial rate for post-acute care jumped from 10.9% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2022.

Denial rates for skilled nursing centers, in particular, "experienced particularly dramatic growth." The number of denied claims in 2022 was nine times higher compared to 2019, according to the report.

During this same period of time, the company "implemented multiple initiatives to automate the process," according to the report. 

The report also claimed United "processed far more home health service authorizations for Medicare Advantage members during this period, underscoring concerns about insurers rejecting placements in post-acute care facilities in favor of less costly alternatives," the report said. 

FOX Business reached out to United for comment. In a statement issued in October, the company lambasted the report, saying it "mischaracterizes the Medicare Advantage program and our clinical practices, while ignoring CMS criteria demanding greater scrutiny around post-acute care."

This is an excerpt from an article by Daniella Genovese.

The UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., lowered its flags to half-staff on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in honor of CEO Brian Thompson, who was fatally shot outside a hotel in New York. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Health care companies are ramping up security in response to the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

Medica, a Minnesota-based nonprofit health care firm that serves 1.5 million customers in 12 states, said Friday it's temporarily closing all six locations.

The firm has offices in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and North Dakota, and employs about 3,000 people. Employees will work from home, Medica spokesman Greg Bury said in an email Friday.

“The safety of Medica employees is our top priority and we have increased security both for all of our employees,” a statement from Medica said. “Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution.”

Bury also announced biographical information about the company's executives was taken down from its website as a precaution.

UnitedHealth Group also said it is increasing security at its headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn.

 “We are partnering with local law enforcement to ensure a safe work environment and reinforce security guidelines and building access policies," the company said in a statement. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Surveillance videos obtained by Fox News Digital from a deli near where the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down on Wednesday morning appear to show his killer walking toward the hotel where he was shot that morning. 

The videos show a person with the same build and wearing the same clothing as the suspect walking down 55th Street at 6:19 a.m. toward the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson was shot. 

The surveillance video was taken at the Stage Star Deli less than an hour before Thompson was shot just before 7 a.m. 

The surveillance videos show the suspect dressed in black with a gray backpack walking down 55th between 6th and 7th avenues. In one of the videos, the suspect is seen briefly stopping in front of a pile of trash and bending down before moving on. 

The suspect also used a fake ID to check into a New York City hostel before the brazen execution-style killing, police sources told Fox News.

Sources say the suspect used the fake ID and paid in cash.

Police sources told Fox News the suspect dropped a burner phone in an alley after the shooting. Police are looking into data that was on the phone, as well as fingerprints that were left on the device, sources say.

Police are also looking into a water bottle that was left at a Starbucks near the scene of the murder. Police sources say that DNA from the bottle is being used to build a suspect profile. The suspect is said to have paid in cash at the Starbucks.

This is an excerpt from an article by Brie Stimson and Julia Bonavita.

The man suspected of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Manhattan on Wednesday morning arrived in New York City last month via a Greyhound bus from Atlanta, law enforcement sources told Fox News.

The shooter boarded a bus in Atlanta the day before Thanksgiving, sources within the New York Police Department said. 

Brian Thompson was gunned down by the suspect before 7 a.m. Wednesday outside of the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan. 

"We are fully cooperating with authorities on this active investigation. As it is ongoing, we cannot provide further comment at this time," a Greyhound spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Police sources told Fox News the suspect dropped a burner phone in an alley after the shooting. Police are looking into data that was on the phone, as well as fingerprints that were left on the device, sources say.

Police are also looking into a water bottle that was left at a Starbucks near the scene of the murder. Police sources say that DNA from the bottle is being used to build a suspect profile. The suspect is said to have paid in cash at the Starbucks.

This is an excerpt from an article by Brie Stimson and Alexis McAdams.

A mysterious apparent phone call by the suspect wanted for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson could provide a "real data point" for investigators to zero in on, law enforcement experts tell Fox News Digital. 

Video has emerged showing the unidentified gunman apparently holding a cell phone to his ear less than 15 minutes before he opened fire in Manhattan. Police later recovered a phone dropped in an alley that the shooter used to flee the scene. 

"If indeed he was on a phone call right then – his phone was live – you can dump the cell tower. You are going to need the search warrant for that and it’s a ton of data," former NYPD inspector and Fox News Contributor Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital. 

"You got the video – you have a pretty good place and time, so what that does [is that] it places that phone inside a particular cell grid, and you look in the data around when the call appears to have been made, and you look at the phone calls that were made there and by process of elimination you are going to get not only the phone number that was assigned to that phone, you are going to get who he called," Mauro added. "And now you got a real data point." 

Former FBI investigator Bill Daly told Fox News Digital that law enforcement can go to a cellular carrier and through a subpoena "get additional detailed information not just about perhaps the one he called that we believe we see him speaking on the phone just prior to the incident, but also any other earlier calls that may have been placed."  

"We don’t know when he purchased the phone. That is also extremely important to understand – did he buy it here in New York? Is he from New York? Did he buy it some other place and bring it to New York? So there is a lot of information that can be derived from that one device without actually knowing what that verbal communication was," Daly added. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Greg Norman. 

A backpack authorities believe may have been used by the sunman was found in Central Park on Friday (Photo obtained by FOX 5 New York)

Investigators in New York City believe they have found the backpack used by the gunman sought in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson during a Friday search of Central Park.

Investigators say the gunman went into Central Park after the shooting with his backpack on and a short time later came out without it. The bag was found not far from the popular park carousel.

Authorities were sweeping the park to find the bag, searching through lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and a densely wooded section called “The Ramble.”

As dusk approached Friday, small groups of officers could be seen roaming among trees across ground covered with leaves.

Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting showed him riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters earlier.

Fox News' Alexis McAdams and The Associated Press contributed to this post.

Investigators in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson are engaging in a "deep dive" into his personal life, including his family and friends, a retired NYPD officer told Fox News Digital Friday. 

"In this case, I think what the cops are really looking at, what the investigators are really looking at is the victim because the overwhelming majority of homicides are committed by someone the victim knows," Ralph Cilento, a retired lieutenant commander of detectives at the NYPD and adjunct professor of police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, explained.

"It's a very high percentage, like near 90%, I think. So, other than the crime scene analysis, what goes on forensically, what recovered shell casings and live rounds and things like that [there are] in every homicide – not just this one – there is a deep dive into the victim."

He said even if the victim didn’t know the suspect, they may have known each other "by proxy if someone sent an assailant to kill somebody."

This is an excerpt from an article by Brie Stimson.

The FBI said it was offering up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (FBI)

The FBI announced Friday night an award of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect accused in the New York City killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The agency said it needs the public's help identifying the suspect.

"The FBI is assisting the New York City Police Department in the shooting death of a 50-year-old male victim on the morning of December 4, 2024, at approximately 6:40am outside of 1335 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan. We are seeking the public's help in identifying the unknown suspect responsible for the homicide," the FBI said in a release.

This comes after Thompson was shot and killed in what police are calling a "premeditated, targeted attack."

The Hilton was hosting UnitedHealth's annual investors conference, and police said Thompson had been in town from Minnesota since Monday and was staying across the street.

Authorities have not revealed a motive, but bullet casings at the scene were found with the words "deny", "depose" and "defend" written on them — a possible reference to the book "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It" — leading to speculation that the killing may have come out of resentment for a denied claim.

Police said Friday that the suspect had likely left New York for Atlanta, Georgia, as investigators continue searching for evidence. The suspect is believed to have arrived in New York from Atlanta before the attack.

The New York City Police Department first announced that $10,000 was being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction.