A former New York Police Department (NYPD) official revealed the most useful clue authorities have in the investigation of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder.
John Miller, former NYPD deputy commissioner for intelligence and counterterrorism, told CBS News on Saturday that the hostel surveillance video of the person of interest is the "most significant clue to date."
The photo of the suspect smiling reportedly happened after a woman in the hostel asked to see the suspect's "pretty smile," a source told CBS. Police interviewed her in the wake of the shooting.
"They were having a flirtatious moment and he pulls it down and he gives a big smile and that one informal moment between two human beings remains at this moment the most significant clue to date in this whole case," Miller explained.
The search for the suspect believed to have shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson entered its sixth day Monday.
An op-ed published in the New York Post on Sunday expressed anxieties about the state of New York in the wake of the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
In an opinion piece entitled "The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is a bad sign for New York City," Manhattan Institute fellow Nicole Gelinas argued that the killing was "yet another blow for a fragile Gotham."
"Thompson’s killing came barely two weeks after Ramon Rivera, sprung on no-bail supervised release on a recent theft charge, after having just served a months-long sentence in Rikers for repeat thefts and burglaries, stabbed three stangers to death across core Manhattan," Gelinas wrote.
"And Thompson’s killing came the day before one teenage migrant fatally stabbed another, also in core Manhattan — a five-minute walk from City Hall Park, a place generally teeming with armed officers."
The writer also expressed concern about how Brian Thompson's murderer was able to blend in by concealing his identity and wearing a mask.
"Until early 2020, the video of a masked perpetrator would have seemed jarring, out of place in New York," Gelinas noted. "Now, men on mopeds and e-bikes whiz by us fully masked every day — and not because of the weather or COVID."
The piece went on to argue that Thompson's murder "has spurred the finance and business world to beef up security."
"[Executives] don’t know yet if the Thompson killing is a one-off, or the start of a terror campaign against CEOs," Gelinas wrote.
{{#rendered}}A retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) Lieutenant and former NYPD commander is shedding light on the manhunt for the suspect who gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and what investigators are doing to track him down.
"He's not a professional, but he is calculated. He obviously planned this out to a very good degree as well. He planned his escape route, he planned everything prior to it," Joe Cardinale told Fox News Digital.
Cardinale added the fact the killer left behind the bullets and left messages on them, like "depose," makes him think it could be someone involved in a civil suit with UnitedHealthcare or at least connected, making this not a coincidence or "wrong place, wrong time" situation.
Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder by Stepheny Price
Police sources told Fox News on Sunday that investigators have pieced together a timeline in the murder of Brian Thompson.
Investigators say that the suspect shot and killed the CEO, hopped on an e-bike and rode to Central Park after the shooting. The suspect then dropped his backpack in a wooded area of the park, walked through the park and then got into a taxi. He possibly got rid of more evidence on the way.
The police source also said that the recently-released picture of the person of interest inside a taxi was taken just minutes after the shooting.
After taking a taxi to an uptown bus terminal, the suspect fled New York City.
Fox News' Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
"Saturday Night Live" swung at and missed with some of their audience this weekend.
The sketch comedy show came under fire after spending nearly a minute and a half of its "Weekend Update" segment discussing the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, including America's fascination with the alleged gunman's appearance."
The manhunt continues for the assassin who gunned down the CEO of United Healthcare on Wednesday, and it really says something about America that a guy was murdered in cold blood and the two main reactions were, ‘Yeah, well health care stinks!’ And also, ‘Girl, that shooter hot,'" co-host Colin Jost quipped.
Read the full article about Saturday Night Live by Caroline Thayer
{{#rendered}}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.
Read the full article about the murder of Brian Thompson by Greg Norman
An unidentified gunman approached UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson from behind Wednesday morning and opened fire outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, then vanished into the streets of the Big Apple, prompting a large-scale manhunt.
Authorities have not revealed a motive, but after bullet casings at the scene were found with 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" – speculation swirled that the slaying may have grown out of resentment for a denied claim.
Thompson was separated from his wife, Paulette, at the time of his death and the Minnesota-based firm's parent company laid off workers in multiple states in September, according to The Star-Tribune.
As police retrace the suspected assassin's steps and hunt for a killer, here's a timeline of how things went down.
Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder timeline by Michael Ruiz
The nationwide manhunt for the gunman suspected of murdering UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson entered its fifth day Sunday.
Police released the latest photos of the suspect late Saturday night, appearing to show the man in the back of a taxi. Police also recovered a backpack they believe is linked to the killer that contained a jacket and Monopoly money, but no gun. Police believe the gunman fled New York City on a bus shortly after the shooting.
A New York Police Department dive team also trawled a Central Park pond Saturday, near where the backpack was found.
Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder by Anders Hagstrom
{{#rendered}}Scuba divers with the New York Police Department were seen scouring a lake inside Central Park on Sunday as the manhunt for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continues.
Divers were searching for evidence inside the lake throughout Sunday morning. The lake is near where officials found a backpack linked to the suspect. Images and video show divers signaling to one another as the search continues.
Police had not announced the recovery of any evidence from the lake as of late Sunday morning.
Police say the suspect fled the scene of the shooting last week and biked to Central Park before taking a taxi to the Port Authority bus station. His arrival at the bus station has led police to conclude he is no longer in New York City.
Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder by Anders Hagstrom
The New York City Police Department late Saturday released new photos of a person wanted for questioning in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
"Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, detectives have submitted additional media depicting the individual," police said.
The new photos came as authorities began to wrap up day four of the hunt for Thompson's assassin.
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.
{{#rendered}}The gray backpack linked to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, which authorities found dumped in Central Park, has reportedly yielded a piece of clothing and some Monopoly money, but no gun.
Police sources told Fox News on Sunday that the backpack, which was discovered in Central Park West on Friday, contained a jacket and Monopoly money. Dive teams were deployed around Central Park over the weekend to find the murder weapon.
Investigators are not sharing what else was found at this time.
Read the full article about the Brian Thompson murder by Alexis McAdams and Andrea Margolis
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