FLIRTY receptionist allegedly asked suspected killer of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson “can I see your pretty smile?”
The chat line gave officers the “most significant” clue in the hunt for the alleged shooter, with the man dropping his mask and CCTV capturing his face.
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Health Insurance CEO Brian Thompson Killed By Shooter Credit: Rex
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Police officers released a picture of the suspect ‘flirting’ with the counter Credit: EPA
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Cops released a picture of the suspect beaming at the counter at the HI New York City hostel when he checked in four days before the brazen execution in midtown Manhattan.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said the receptionist told officers she asked to “see his beautiful smile,” reports CBS.
The suspect then removed his mask and smiled at the woman with the surveillance camera above the table capturing the moment.
Miller said: “They had a moment of flirtation and he pulls it back and smiles broadly and that one informal moment between two human beings remains at this moment the most important clue to this day in this whole case.”
Officers are searching for the suspected attacker, whose face was carefully masked in almost every CCTV footage.
But the suspect slipped and pulled off the covers as he flirted with the receptionist giving police his face.
It’s one of a number of images released by police showing the unmasked man at a hostel desk and a Starbucks he visited before the shooting as they desperately try to trace him.
NYPD and FBI agents searched the hostel on Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, and found the main lead caught on camera when he checked in on November 30.
Police believe he first checked in on November 24 and then left on the 29th, before returning on November 30.
The suspect used a fake New Jersey driver’s license to hide his identity.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ‘shot and killed’ outside New York Hilton hotel in ‘targeted attack’
CCTV footage shows the suspect wearing a coat similar to the one worn by the killer.
Officers tracked him to the hostel after finding other CCTV footage of him in the area at 5am on Wednesday – just an hour before he is believed to have shot the UnitedHealthcare executive.
A search of the hostel room where he was sleeping at around 6.30 pm on Wednesday did not reveal anything significant, sources said.
He is believed to have been staying in a shared room with up to half a dozen other men and was wearing a mask for most of his stay.
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A man’s face could be seen as he checked into an Upper West Side hostel
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Police found bullets at the scene of the shootingCredit: AP
A tourist from Denmark said: “They [roommates] tried to enter the room but could not because the police said no.
“Some sort of investigation so they were pretty shocked because they were sharing a room with this person who could be pretty bad.”
The hostel says they are fully cooperating with the investigation.
The suspect is believed to have arrived in New York on November 24 – 10 days before the murder.
He arrived in the city on a Greyhound bus traveling from Atlanta to New York, but the authorities do not know when he boarded it.
The suspect was careful to cover his face as he tried to “go ghost,” a retired NYPD sergeant told CNN.
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The suspect was seen at a nearby Starbucks minutes before the shooting
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Thompson, who had a salary of $9.9 million, was scheduled to speak at an investor conference Credit: UnitedHealth Group
Felipe Rodriguez said: “He tried to become a ghost, basically, and the trick he used was ‘Let me hide in plain sight’.”
Rodriguez said he may have fled into Central Park to change clothes and avoid officers.
He said: “He already knows we’ve already picked up his clothes so we can broadcast over the police radio, so what you want to do is change that quickly.”
It comes after chilling CCTV footage shows the moment the victim was knocked down by the attacker.
Thompson was mercilessly shot multiple times in the back and leg shortly after 6:45 a.m. as he entered the New York Hilton Midtown.
The killer is believed to have used a rare World War II-inspired spy gun known to be used by veterinarians to destroy large sick animals, such as horses, sources told the New York Post.
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The suspect was seen riding his bicycle down the street just 15 minutes after the attack, authorities say
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The suspect was also caught leaving the subway station Credit: Christopher Hamel
The pistol used by the shooter appears to match the Brugger & Thomet VP9 – inspired by the Welrod pistol – a British pistol developed by special forces in World War II.
The B&T VP9 has an almost identical design, but is meant to be quiet so it doesn’t scare other animals instead of Nazis.
The ‘9’ in the gun’s name refers to its 9mm bullets – matching the size of the ammunition officers found at the scene outside the Hilton Hotel.
MYSTERIOUS MOTIVE
A motive for the killing has not yet been released, but police believe Thompson was “specifically targeted.”
Forensic teams discovered a gruesome message left on the bullets used by the killer to kill Thompson in cold blood.
The words “deny,” “take down” and “defend” were found on bullets and shell casings at the scene, police sources told the New York Post.
Those words could have been a reference to the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which talked about insurance companies and why they refuse to pay claims.
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Police found a phone they believe belonged to the killer at the sceneCredit: Getty
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Officers have released CCTV images showing a man checking into a hostelCredit: Alamy
There is speculation that the killer may have been a disgruntled UnitedHealthcare patient seeking some form of revenge.
The book’s author, Jay M. Feinman, declined to speak after the murder.
The term is also often used by lawyers and insurance critics to describe tactics used to avoid paying claims.
It refers to insurers who delay payment, deny a claim and then defend their actions.
Health insurers like UnitedHealthcare have become a frequent target of criticism from doctors and patients for denying claims or complicating access to care.
The NYPD has offered a $10,000 reward for information about the killer.
Police urged the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS with any information.
TRIBUTE PAID
Meanwhile, Thompson’s wife, Paulette, said her husband had received threats in the run-up to the murder.
A fake bomb threat directed at Thompson’s home was sent approximately 12 hours after his murder, TMZ reported.
It was also revealed that the couple had become estranged, with the pair living in separate homes less than a mile apart in the suburb of Maple Grove, Minnesota.
An emotional Paulette paid tribute to her late husband in a statement.
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CEO Thompson, 50, was rushed to hospital but died from his injuriesCredit: AFP
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The NYPD has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Credit: Reuters
“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” she said.
“Most importantly, Brian was incredibly loving to our two sons and we will miss him dearly.”
Thompson, who has been CEO of America’s largest private health insurer since April 2021, earned a salary of nearly $9.9 million.
He had been with the company for 20 years and was reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department at the time of his death.
UnitedHealth Group statement on Brian Thompson
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in a brazen attack on December 4 as he was leaving a New York hotel. Parent company UnitedHealth Group released the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.
“We are working closely with the NYPD and ask for your patience and understanding at this difficult time.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and everyone who was close to him.”
Thompson, along with fellow CEOs Stephen Helmsley, Erin McSweeney and Tom Roos, faced a DOJ investigation after making a total of $101.5 million in stock sales during the four months before the federal antitrust investigation became public knowledge .
On February 16, less than two weeks before news of the investigation broke, Thompson exercised stock options and sold $15.1 million worth of stock.
Thompson was assigned an internal security detail during his trip to New York City, the source said, but that detail was not with him at the time of the shooting.
But a former senior director of security at another major insurance company told CNN it’s often difficult to get executives to buy into security even when faced with threats.
Other health care providers stepped up security for their executives after Thompson’s murder.
Timeline of Brian Thompson’s murder
BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed, and a desperate search is underway for his killer.
Here’s what we know so far about Thompson’s murder.
December 2 – Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York for an investor conference in midtown Manhattan.
December 4, 6:45 a.m. – Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is shot dead by a masked shooter. The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen riding his bicycle toward Central Park. The police launched a city-wide search for the killer.
December 4th, later that morning – News broke, the shooting victim was Thompson, who was the CEO of America’s largest private healthcare provider. Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information and desperately asked New Yorkers to keep their eyes out.
Dec. 4, afternoon – Thompson’s estranged wife, Paulette, revealed that her husband had been threatened before he was shot.
Dec. 4, afternoon – Cops have released more gruesome images of the suspect ordering from Starbucks that partially reveal his face. The US Sun confirmed the cafe was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it’s unclear when he stopped by.
December 5, morning – Reports claim that the words “deny”, “reject” and “defend” were engraved on live bullets and shell casings left behind by the killer. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which talks about the shortcomings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comments on the reports.
December 5, morning – Officers searched a hostel on the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect was allegedly staying. He is believed to have worn a mask most of the time he was there.
December 5th, morning – Pictured is a person of interest in Thompson’s murder. In the photo, he is wearing a hood, but you could see his full face breaking into a bright smile. However, no one has been arrested in the investigation.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education