General
Friday Briefing
A manhunt continues.
Investigators have not established a motive in the shooting.Credit…Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times
A manhunt continued in New York City
A day after a health care executive was assassinated outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, a frantic manhunt for the gunman continued. The authorities released two images that they said showed the face of the suspect, and a senior law enforcement official said he used a fake New Jersey identification to book a room at a hostel the night before the killing.
The man arrived in New York on a bus from somewhere south of the city on Nov. 24, the official said, and checked into the hostel on the Upper West Side. He checked out on Nov. 29, and checked back in the next day, the official added. See a visual timeline of the shooting.
Investigators have not established a motive in the shooting, but the authorities have said that the gunman appeared to have targeted the executive, Brian Thompson, 50, of UnitedHealthcare, by waiting for him early Wednesday morning. The gunman fired several shots that left Thompson crumpled and dying on the pavement.
Details: Bullet casings found near the scene were inscribed with the words “deny” and “delay” — possible references to ways that insurance companies seek to avoid paying patients’ medical claims.
Response: The shooting has unleashed Americans’ frustrations with a health insurance industry that often denies coverage and reimbursement for medical claims.
