‘Our hearts are broken’: UnitedHealth Group speaks out after CEO Brian Thompson killed

UnitedHealth Group released a statement saying they are “heartbroken” and “overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness and support” since CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Manhattan early Wednesday.

The masked man appeared to be lurking outside the Hilton hotel in what police said was a “premeditated” attack. The shooter arrived five minutes before Thompson before shooting the victim in the chest around 6:40 a.m., police said.

The gunman caught on video chased after the CEO, pointed the gun at him and fired. A witness fled as Thompson tripped and fell to the ground. The gunman approached Thompson, firing more shots before fleeing.

“So many patients, consumers, healthcare professionals, associations, government officials and other caring individuals have taken time out of their day to reach out. “We are grateful, yet saddened,” UnitedHealth Group said in its latest statement. “Our priorities are first and foremost to support Brian’s family; to ensure the safety of our employees; and to work with law enforcement to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“We at UnitedHealth Group will continue to be there for those who depend on us for health care,” the statement continued. “We ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy as they mourn the loss of a husband, father, brother and friend.”

The NYPD released new photos of the suspect Thursday, seen without a mask, while asking for the public’s help in identifying him. The footage was taken from a surveillance camera at the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Police obtained a search warrant after they believed the suspect was staying there, sources told ABC News.

Police were able to find an image of the suspect without a face mask because he was flirting with the woman he took into the shelter, police sources told ABC News.

When he was at the checkout desk, sources said the woman asked to see his smile. The alleged shooter complied, pulling down his mask so the surveillance camera could catch his face.

The alleged shooter entered the shelter using a New Jersey license that was not his, police sources told ABC News. Detectives filed the name and sources said it did not resemble any known photos or other evidence of the suspect collected so far.

His check-in date was November 30, but authorities believe the alleged shooter was in the city before that date.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that he arrived last month from Atlanta, Georgia. He took a Greyhound bus to the Port Authority Terminal in Midtown.

Both Greyhound and the hostel’s parent company Hostelling International USA said in a statement that they are “fully cooperating with the NYPD” but could not comment further due to the active investigation.

Detectives are combing the Upper West Side and other outlying shelters and locations, showing a photo of the suspect, as they work to identify him, sources said.

They are working to learn more about the man’s whereabouts between the time he arrived in New York and the shooting.

Thompson was a longtime executive who rose through the ranks at the company after becoming a business consultant at global consulting giant PwC, according to his LinkedIn page.

He lived in a gated community in Maple Grove, Minnesota, a Twin Cities suburb about 15 miles from UnitedHealth Group’s Minnetonka headquarters.

After nearly 20 years in various executive positions at the company, Thompson was appointed to his current position in 2021.

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, said in a statement that she is “heartbroken” by the “senseless murder.”

“Brian was an incredibly loving, generous and talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives,” she said. “Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and he will be greatly missed.”