UnitedHealth CEO Shot Dead in Manhattan, US
Three Words Found in Cartridge: 'Wife, Defense, Testimony'
Insurance Payment Dispute Possible Motive
Brian Thompson (50), CEO of UnitedHealthcare (UNH), the largest health insurance company in the United States, was murdered, and the recovered bullet casings were found to be engraved with words suggesting a possible motive for the crime.
On the 5th (local time), the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing an anonymous police source, that the New York Police Department collected 9mm caliber bullet casings at the crime scene of CEO Thompson's murder. The casings were engraved with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose." AP analyzed that these inscriptions might refer to strategies used by insurance companies to deny insurance claims.
In fact, UNH is known as one of the insurance companies notorious for denying insurance claims. According to the financial website ValuePenguin, UNH's insurance claim denial rate is 32%, one of the highest in the industry. Notably, a report released in October 2022 by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations stated that UNH's denial rate for post-acute care insurance claims increased from 10.9% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2022.
Earlier, CEO Thompson was shot and killed around 6:44 a.m. on the 4th at the entrance sidewalk of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan by a man wearing a black mask covering his face. Thompson was scheduled to attend the annual investor event held at the Hilton Hotel at 8 a.m. that day. The police have not yet determined a specific motive for the crime. However, based on the suspect’s behavior before and after the crime captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV), the incident is considered a meticulously planned murder targeting CEO Thompson.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference, "Many people passed by the suspect, but it appears the suspect waited until the target appeared." The suspect, wearing a hat attached to his jacket and a black mask covering his face, had prepared an electric bicycle nearby for escape before the crime. CCTV footage secured by the police shows the suspect waiting near the hotel and shooting CEO Thompson from behind with a silenced pistol as he appeared.
Commissioner Tisch explained, "Judging from the footage, the suspect appears to be very skilled in firearm use, quickly resolving a gun malfunction." The suspect fled immediately after the crime on the prepared electric bicycle and was last seen entering Central Park. The police have issued a public warrant with a $10,000 (approximately 14 million KRW) reward and are conducting a manhunt using helicopters, drones, and search dogs for the second day, but the suspect’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Thompson was a prominent figure who had been with UnitedHealth Group for over 20 years and became CEO of the group’s core health insurance division in 2021. UnitedHealth Group is the largest health insurance company in the U.S., ranking 10th globally in revenue among the Fortune Global 500 companies. UnitedHealth Group issued a statement saying, "Brian was a respected colleague and friend to everyone who worked with him," and "We are cooperating closely with the New York Police Department."
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