What we know about New York City shooting of UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson
Police in New York City are searching for the gunman who killed the chief executive of America’s biggest health insurance provider outside a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday.
Brian Thompson, 50, was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare – the fourth-largest public company in the United States.
He was targeted by what experts claim is a “seasoned, professional killer”, who shot him as he was walking into the hotel where his company was holding an investors’ conference.
What happened?
The shooting happened at 6.45am on Wednesday – just before sunrise.
Brian Thompson was in New York City for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investors conference, which was due to start at 8am.
As he walked towards the entrance of the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue, CCTV footage shows a gunman emerging from two parked cars behind him.
A map shows the scene of the shooting outside the Hilton hotel
Pic: Reuters
The suspect draws his weapon and fires at least three times at close range – around 15ft (4.6m) away from him on the pavement.
Mr Thompson is shot in the back and the calf and falls to the ground.
The weapon, believed to have been fitted with a 9mm silencer, appears to jam, at which point the shooter fixes the problem and fires again.
CCTV shows the suspect firing his weapon. Pic: NYPD/Reuters
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There was at least one bystander present, but the gunman does not approach them, instead crossing the street and disappearing down an alleyway on the other side of the road.
Wanted posters show CCTV pictures of him on an electric bike, which police say he fled the scene on and was last seen riding in nearby Central Park.
CCTV shows the suspect fleeing on an e-bike. Pic: NYPD/Reuters
Emergency services later arrived at the scene, which is near the Rockefeller Center, where the famous annual Christmas lights switch-on took place hours after.
The UnitedHealthcare conference started on time as planned – but an hour later the chief executive of the firm’s wider group Andrew Whitty appeared on stage to say it was being cancelled.
Police officers guard the crime scene outside the Hilton hotel on Sixth Avenue. Pic: Reuters
Who was Brian Thompson?
Brian Thompson joined UnitedHealthcare from an accountancy firm in 2004 and was named chief executive officer in April 2021. He previously served as chief executive of the firm’s government programmes business.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the US and manages insurance for employers and state and federally-funded programmes.
It is the fourth largest public company in the country – behind Walmart, Amazon, and Apple.
Brian Thompson. Pic: UnitedHealth Group/AP
He lived in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is around a 20-minute drive from the company headquarters.
He studied at the University of Iowa – and was married with two children.
His wife Paulette Thompson told NBC News that he had said “there were some people that had been threatening him” but gave no further details.
The police chief of the suburb where Mr Thompson lived, Eric Werner, said his department had received no reports of threats towards him.
His sister-in-law Elena Reveiz, told the New York Times: “He was a good person and I am so sad.”
UnitedHealthcare described him in its statement as a “highly respected colleague” and a “friend to all who worked with him”.
Mr Thompson’s wife said he had been receiving threats. Pic: UnitedHealthcare/AP
What do we know about the suspect?
Police officials are describing the shooting as a “premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack” and “not a random act of violence”.
New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the killer appeared to have been “lying in wait for several minutes” for Mr Thompson to approach the hotel.
The 911 call describes him as around 5ft 10in, wearing all black, his face covered by a mask, and carrying a grey backpack.
Pic: NYPD
Pic: NYPD
Former FBI special agent Terry Rankhorn told Sky News his behaviour showed he was “clearly a seasoned, professional killer”.
“He paces his target. He doesn’t run up, like an inexperienced, emotional, amateur killer. He draws his weapon and takes careful aim,” he said.
Pic: NYPD
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Mr Rankhorn said the gun is likely to have malfunctioned due to the mismatch between the 9mm silencer used and what was likely subsonic ammunition.
“The ill-fitted suppressor on the weapon can cause a malfunction,” he said. “But he knew exactly how to deal with it.”
Bullets on the pavement at the scene of the crime. Pic: AP
Shell casings were found at the scene. Pic: Reuters
Mr Rankhorn said it is also noteworthy that the suspect spotted a bystander and was unfazed by them.
“He evaluates them to see if they’re any threat to him… determines they’re just trying to flee the scene, and returns focus to his target,” he said.
Crime scene investigators found several 9mm shell casings outside the hotel – and a mobile phone in the alleyway the gunman fled through.
The scene after Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York. Pic: AP
Pic: Reuters
They also searched Mr Thompson’s hotel room, interviewed his colleagues, and scoured his social media.
Mr Rankin told Sky News any motive is “purely speculation” at this early stage. But he adds that possibilities include Mr Thompson being involved in “white collar crime” whereby confederates may have feared him going to the police, or an “insider stock trading scandal”.
Police have given no indication of the gunman’s motive so far. They are offering a $10,000 (£7,860) reward for information.
Ukraine has agreed terms with the United States on a crucial minerals deal, a Ukrainian government source has told Sky News.
There has been no confirmation from the US side yet but Donald Trump said on Monday evening that his Ukrainian counterpart “would like to sign the minerals deal with me”.
The accord, once signed, could unlock a new long-term partnership between Kyiv and Mr Trump‘s White House after weeks of increasingly tense exchanges.
The source said there was a plan for the document to be signed “very soon”.
This could even be during a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump.
The US president told reporters on Tuesday evening that his Ukrainian counterpart is “coming to visit on Friday”.
He added: “We have pretty much negotiated our deal on rare earths.”
A Ukrainian government source has also said Mr Zelenskyy will meet with Mr Trump in Washington on Friday and that the meeting was proposed by the American side.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have said Kyiv has agreed a framework for an economic deal with the US which will see them trade rights to rare minerals in exchange for continued aid.
The deal sets out the terms to create a new fund to invest in Ukraine’s minerals, rare earth materials and other valuable natural resources.
It no longer contains an initial demand by the United States for a right to $500bn (£394bn) in potential revenue from the resources.
Mr Zelenskyy had previously described such a high price as not being a “serious” conversation.
Mr Trump, however, views the minerals transaction with Ukraine as a fair way to recoup the billions of dollars that the US has given Kyiv – via weapons and financial support – to assist the armed forces in their fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion over the past three years.
The document also does not provide a commitment from Washington to give security guarantees to Ukraine in the wake of any ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin – something that Kyiv desperately needs and has been asking for.
More granular details about the new partnership are expected to be fleshed out in coming discussions.
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The two sides have “agreed on a framework agreement on how to create a fund that will be filled with a share of minerals” and other natural resources, the government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“This is a political step to ensure that resource revenues are used for the security and reconstruction of Ukraine.”
The fund would comprise US money that would be invested in Ukrainian natural resources, with profits shared between Washington and Kyiv, it is understood.
The Financial Times first reported on the agreement being reached. It said the final version of the deal was dated 24 February.
“The minerals agreement is only part of the picture. We have heard multiple times from the US administration that it’s part of a bigger picture,” Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and justice minister who has led the negotiations, told the newspaper on Tuesday.
The development comes after Mr Trump shocked European leaders last week by calling Mr Zelenskyy a “dictator with no elections”.
He added that the Ukrainian president “better move fast or he is not going to have a country left” after Mr Zelenskyy had accused him of living in a Russian-made “disinformation space”.
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Is Trump and Macron’s bromance still intact?
French President Emmanuel Macron flew to Washington to meet with Mr Trump on Monday for talks on Ukraine amid fragile relations between the US and Europe.
Meeting in the White House on the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the French president said he and Mr Trump “made substantive steps forward during our discussions”.
It comes as UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer prepares to meet with Mr Trump at the White House on Thursday.
Mr Starmer and Mr Macron spoke on the phone on Tuesday and “agreed that President Trump’s leadership in working towards a durable peace in Ukraine was welcome”, a Downing Street spokesperson continued.
Donald Trump is ramping up pressure on his Ukrainian counterpart to sign away up to 50% of its mineral supplies.
Amid concerns Mr Trump would withdraw aid if elected, during a meeting at Trump Tower in September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly proposed a US stake in Ukrainian minerals in exchange for more weapons.
But since Mr Trump’s return to the White House, US-Ukrainian relations have become increasingly strained, with him branding Mr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and excluding Ukraine from negotiations with Russia.
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A Ukrainian source told Sky News that Mr Zelenskyy is “not ready” to sign the US agreement due to a “number of problematic issues”, with a leaked draft claiming to ask for 50%. French President Emmanuel Macron has lent his support to the idea.
Here we look at Ukraine’s mineral supply – and why the US wants access to it.
Donald Trump meets Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in September 2024. Pic: AP
Which minerals does Ukraine have?
Before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, minerals made up 6.1% of Ukraine’s GDP (gross domestic product) and 30% of its exports.
It is home to various ‘critical’ minerals, so called for their use in technology manufacturing, defence systems, and green energy, with examples including copper, nickel, lithium, and titanium.
According to the European Commission, in 2019 Ukraine supplied 7% of global titanium, which is used for building nuclear power plants and planes.
Similarly, it is believed to have more lithium (used to make batteries) than any other European country – a suspected 500,000 tonnes.
Before Russia’s invasion, it was also responsible for a fifth of global graphite, which is a key material for nuclear power stations and electric vehicle batteries.
Other raw materials in good supply include coal, iron ore, and manganese.
A titanium plant in Armyansk, Crimea. File pic: Reuters
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Pre-war figures are the most reliable, as up to 40% of Ukrainian metallic minerals are now in areas occupied by Russia – namely the Donbas and neighbouring eastern regions.
For example, two of Ukraine’s lithium deposits are under Russian control – Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk.
A graphite pit in Zavallia, Ukraine. Pic: Reuters
Rare earth elements
Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of 17 exotic minerals used to make everything from smartphones and electronic devices, to electric vehicles, wind turbines, and weapons systems.
Examples include europium, a material for control rods at nuclear power plants, and gadolinium, used to make the magnets inside mobile phones – as well as holmium, ytterbium, and dysprosium.
They are not strictly rare – but their extraction and storage are highly energy-intensive.
With the details of war-torn Ukraine’s mineral supplies uncertain – it is not clear which REEs are present there and how much there are of them.
But in a pre-war assessment of 109 critical mineral deposits across the country by the Kyiv School of Economics, three were reported to contain REEs.
Ukrainian mineral data, seen by Reuters, has also cited cerium, neodymium, erbium, yttrium, and lanthanum.
Why does Trump want them?
Donald Trump has not been clear about which minerals he wants from Ukraine.
And as Sky’s economics and data editor Ed Conway says, there are far greater supplies of lithium, graphite, and titanium elsewhere, including in the US.
But what is far more certain is the role China has to play in Mr Trump’s demands.
As the biggest manufacturer in the world, China processes more REEs than any other country – with its deposits representing between 50% and 75% of global supply, according to estimates.
As a result, both the US and Europe are trying to reduce their dependency on Beijing.
A chinese rare earth smelting plant spews polluted water
In December as Mr Trump prepared to return to office, China banned the export of some REEs to the US. Under Joe Biden’s administration, it had already restricted its US mineral exports.
In response on 1 February, the Trump administration announced 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports.
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Why did China restrict mineral exports last year?
Beyond the trade war with China, REEs and critical minerals are fundamental to the global green energy transition.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, to meet net-zero targets by 2030, we will need three times as much copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
This will mean a further 50 lithium, 60 nickel, and 17 cobalt mines globally.
US
Large bruise on Trump’s hand prompts speculation over health – but White House blames ‘shaking hands’
A large bruise that appeared on Donald Trump’s hand is down to him shaking a lot of hands, the White House has said.
Mr Trump‘s right hand seemed bruised during the 78-year-old’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, prompting speculation on social media over his health.
Redness or bruising on the US leader’s right hand were also spotted in August and November last year, Sky News’ US partner network NBC reported.
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Mr Trump meets Mr Macron in DC
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has claimed the bruising is a result of hand shaking.
“President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other president in history.
“His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day,” Ms Leavitt said.
“President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” she said in a follow-up statement.
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People speculated about potential causes for the bruising on social media.
On X, one person suggested Mr Trump was on blood thinners, while another said: “Maybe, but elderly people bruise more easily than younger folks. Trump is 78. He could have gotten that in any number of ways.”
One user didn’t seem to believe the White House’s explanation.
“Why even lie? It’s obviously an IV bruise for blood testing or something. Is it a surprise to people that Trump is old and gets regular physician visits?” they said.
In a December interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, Mr Trump said he would release his full medical report, but he has yet to do so.
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