EXCLUSIVE: UnitedHealthcare CEO Assassin’s First Shot In Leg Sparks Theories He Was 'Amateur Vigilante' Out for Revenge Against Brutal Insurance Industry
Dec. 6 2024, Published 11:50 a.m. ET
The UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin has sparked theories he was a revenge-driven "amateur vigilante" after firing his first shot into tragic Brian Thompson's leg.
RadarOnline.com can reveal insiders believe the fact the ruthless killer, who has yet to be caught, took several attempts to take out his target suggests he may not have been a professional hitman, as some experts have claimed.
And his missfiring has fueled talk he could be a non-specialist gunman on a revenge mission against the brutal insurance industry.
A source told RadarOnline.com: "Speculation is still rife as to what the killer's motives were.
"But despite looking comfortable holding the gun, his aim wasn't overly clean, meaning it's unlikely this was an expert.
"Therefore, it adds increasingly more weight to the argument this could be an amateur vigilante."
The manhunt is still ongoing according to the latest NYPD briefing, which stated the search has now become "multi-state".
Despite new images of the gunman inside Starbucks and a hostel, where the majority of his face — and his grin — are visible, the man's identity has yet to be revealed.
Police have compiled a portfolio of more than 200 images of the suspect spanning his arrival in New York City, the scene of the homicide and his escape route.
A series of those key images have since been distributed to around 80 major police departments across the U.S., and the New York Police Department has requested assistance of other police forces to help aid with the search.
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Police say they are confident they will find him. "We're gonna get this guy," one official has stated.
The suspect arrived in New York on November 24 having taken a Greyhound bus which began its journey in Atlanta.
While in the Big Apple, he checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side using a fake ID and minutes before the attack, he visited a Starbucks coffee shop, wearing a black facemask and a grey backpack
After shooting Thompson, who was later pronounced dead in hospital, he fled the scene on foot and was last spotted on an e-bike in Central Park, as police say he appeared to be familiar with weapons handling.
Several images of the suspect have been released by New York City police, including two with his face uncovered after he pulled down his mask while flirting with a hostel receptionist.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he believes the police will bring the alleged gunman to justice.
He said: "We're on the right track.
"This person was fully masked and we used good old fashioned police work to come up with the picture you have."
Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest private insurer in the U.S.
He first joined the company in 2004 as director of corporate development and rose through the ranks to become the head of the company in April 2021.
He earned $10.2m working for the company last year, up from $9.8m in 2022 and $9.6m in 2021.
Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting.
Before joining UnitedHealthcare, Thompson worked at PwC.
The 50-year-old was married to Paulette Thompson, had two sons and lived in Maple Grove, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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