Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD brass say suspect in CEO assassination 'may' have fled the city 2 days ago
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Dec 6, 2024
Modified Dec 6, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Alex Kent/Getty Images
By
Louis C. Hochman
Published Dec 6, 2024
Modified Dec 6, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Police say the suspect in the assassination of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson may have left town.
Police have been searching for the yet-unnamed gunman since early Wednesday morning, when authorities say he walked up behind Thompson wearing a hood and facemask and shot Thompson multiple times in his back and calf.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the suspected shooter fled the scene in front of the Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue, went into Central Park and left the park near 77th Street. Kenny said police have footage of the suspect traveling further on foot before eventually taking a taxi to the Port Authority bus station at 178th Street and Broadway.
There’s no video of the suspect leaving the bus station, he told CNN.
“Those buses are interstate buses. That’s why we believe he may have left New York City,” he said.
Authorities have described it as a “brazen, targeted attack.” Tisch said at a press conference on Wednesday that the shooter was seen on surveillance video “lying in wait for several minutes” as Thompson approached the Hilton from the hotel where he’d been staying across the street.
Thompson had been scheduled to attend an investor conference at the Hilton.
On Thursday, police confirmed reports that the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on bullet casings found at the scene. The terms bear similarity to the name of the 2010 book “Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” by Jay M. Feinman. Police also said this week they were visiting hostels on the Upper East and Upper West Sides as part of their investigation.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the location of the bus terminal where the suspected gunman was last seen.
Tagged
new york city
nypd
public safety
transportation
Louis C. Hochman
After about two decades in (mostly) New Jersey-focused commercial print, digital and digital-but-radio-adjacent news, Lou stumbled into member-supported news in early 2021, as the editor and CEO of Montclair Local. There, he (hopes he) expanded enterprise, brought more sophistication to digital storytelling and moved the nonprofit newsroom closer to long-term financial sustainability. He helped lead the Local to its fourth consecutive General Excellence award from the New Jersey Press Association — the NJPA's highest honor with judges noting the paper's work to strip away layers of government opacity, to hold power to account, to make news accessible for more members of the community, to share the stories and concerns of more facets of the community and to tell compelling stories across multiple media. He's excited to continue the same ethic — news as a public service — at NYPR as the New Jersey and suburbs editor, drawing on the extraordinary talents of reporters including Karen Yi and Nancy Solomon. Lou lives in Philly (that commute!) with his partner and their two cats, about whom and about which he speaks incessantly.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC tow companies busted for ripping off drivers must give $67K in refunds, city says
Mayor Mamdani has expanded enforcement on towing scams, but the unlicensed towing industry remains largely unregulated.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 4:47 p.m. ET
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
News
Off-duty NYPD officer stabbed in the Bronx, police say
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited the officer in the hospital.
By
Ryan Kost
DOC negligence factored in death at Rikers' Bellevue hospital outpost, jail officials say
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Conductor on NYC subway that dragged man to death may have skipped safety check, source says
By
Stephen Nessen
NYPD still searching for man who threw burning substance on victim in East Harlem
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .