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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
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A map shows the scene of the shooting outside the Hilton hotel

Police officers stand near the scene where the CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson was reportedly shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
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.

An image of the individual sought in connection to the investigation of the shooting death of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth.
Pic: NYPD/Reuters
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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.

An image of the individual sought in connection to the investigation of the shooting death of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth.
Pic: NYPD/Reuters
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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 stand near the scene where the CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson was reportedly shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan.
Pic: Reuters
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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.

Top CEO shot dead outside hotel in New York City
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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 had been in his role for three years. Pic: UnitedHealthcare/AP
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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.

Suspect in Brian Thompson murder
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Pic: NYPD

Suspect in Brian Thompson murder
Image:
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.

Suspect in Brian Thompson murder
Image:
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 lie on the sidewalk at the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot.
Pic: AP
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Bullets on the pavement at the scene of the crime. Pic: AP

A member of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit takes a picture of a shell casing found at the scene where the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson was  shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan
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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
Image:
The scene after Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York. Pic: AP

Police officers work near the scene where the CEO of United Healthcare Brian Thompson was reportedly shot and killed.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
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.

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Donald Trump announces sweeping global trade tariffs – including 10% on UK imports

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Donald Trump announces sweeping global trade tariffs - including 10% on UK imports

Donald Trump has announced a 10% trade tariff on all imports from the UK – as he unleashed sweeping tariffs across the globe.

Speaking at a White House event entitled “Make America Wealthy Again”, the president held up a chart detailing the worst offenders – which also showed the new tariffs the US would be imposing.

“This is Liberation Day,” he told a cheering audience of supporters, while hitting out at foreign “cheaters”.

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He claimed “trillions” of dollars from the “reciprocal” levies he was imposing on others’ trade barriers would provide relief for the US taxpayer and restore US jobs and factories.

Mr Trump said the US has been “looted, pillaged, raped, plundered” by other nations.

President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Pic: AP

His first tariff announcement was a 25% duty on all car imports from midnight – 5am on Thursday, UK time.

Mr Trump confirmed the European Union would face a 20% reciprocal tariff on all other imports. China’s rate was set at 34%.

The UK’s rate of 10% was perhaps a shot across the bows over the country’s 20% VAT rate, though the president’s board suggested a 10% tariff imbalance between the two nations.

It was also confirmed that further US tariffs were planned on some individual sectors including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and critical mineral imports.

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Trump’s tariffs explained

The ramping up of duties promises to be painful for the global economy. Tariffs on steel and aluminium are already in effect.

The UK government signalled there would be no immediate retaliation.

Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses and consumers. That’s why, throughout the last few weeks, the government has been fully focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship.

“The US is our closest ally, so our approach is to remain calm and committed to doing this deal, which we hope will mitigate the impact of what has been announced today.

“We have a range of tools at our disposal and we will not hesitate to act. We will continue to engage with UK businesses including on their assessment of the impact of any further steps we take.

“Nobody wants a trade war and our intention remains to secure a deal. But nothing is off the table and the government will do everything necessary to defend the UK’s national interest.”

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Who showed up for Trump’s tariff address?

The EU has pledged to retaliate, which is a problem for Northern Ireland.

Should that scenario play out, the region faces the prospect of rising prices because all its imports are tied to EU rules under post-Brexit trading arrangements.

It means US goods shipped to Northern Ireland would be subject to the EU’s reprisals.

The impact of a trade war would be expected to be widely negative, with tit-for-tat tariffs risking job losses, a ramping up of prices and cooling of global trade.

Research for the Institute for Public Policy Research has suggested more than 25,000 direct jobs in the UK car manufacturing industry alone could be at risk from the tariffs on car exports to the US.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) had said the tariff costs could not be absorbed by manufacturers and may lead to a review of output.

The tariffs now on UK exports pose a big risk to growth and the so-called headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves was forced to restore to the public finances at the spring statement, risking further spending cuts or tax rises ahead to meet her fiscal rules.

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A member of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), David Miles, told MPs on Tuesday that US tariffs at 20% or 25% maintained on the UK for five years would “knock out all the headroom the government currently has”.

But he added that a “very limited tariff war” that the UK stays out of could be “mildly positive”.

He said: “There’s a bit of trade that will get diverted to the UK, and some of the exports from China, for example, that would have gone to the US, they’ll be looking for a home for them in the rest of the world.

“And stuff would be available in the UK a bit cheaper than otherwise would have been. So there is one, not central scenario at all, which is very, very mildly potentially positive to the UK. All the other ones which involve the UK facing tariffs are negative, and they’re negative to very different extents.”

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‘A genius actor’, ‘firecracker’, and ‘my friend’: Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

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'A genius actor', 'firecracker', and 'my friend': Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

Actors, directors and celebrity friends have paid tribute to Val Kilmer, after he died aged 65.

The California-born star of Top Gun, Batman and Heat died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes told the Associated Press.

She said Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered.

Tributes flooded in after reports broke of the actor’s death, with No Country For Old Men star Josh Brolin among the first to share their memories.

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Watch: Val Kilmer in his most iconic roles

He wrote on Instagram: “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those.

“I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”

Kyle Maclachlan, who co-starred with Kilmer in the 1991 biopic The Doors, wrote on social media: “You’ll always be my Jim. See you on the other side my friend.”

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Michael Mann, who directed Kilmer in 1995’s Heat, also paid tribute in a statement, saying: “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.

“After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

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Heat co-star Danny Trejo also called Kilmer “a great actor, a wonderful person, and a dear friend of mine” on Instagram.

Cher, who once dated the actor, said on X that “U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND… BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness”.

Lifelong friend and director of Twixt, Francis Ford Coppola said: “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life.

“He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know – I will always remember him.”

The Top Gun account on X also said it was remembering Kilmer, who starred as Iceman in both the 1986 original and 2022 sequel, and “whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations”.

Nicolas Cage added that “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing”.

“I thought he was a genius actor,” he said. “I enjoyed working with him on Bad Lieutenant and I admired his commitment and sense of humor.

“He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”

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‘No justification for this’: World reacts to Trump’s tariff announcement

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'No justification for this': World reacts to Trump's tariff announcement

World leaders have begun reacting after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs across the world.

Mr Tump announced a 10% trade tariff on all imports from the UK.

He said he would impose a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the US and higher duties on some of the country’s biggest trading partners.

Speaking at a White House event entitled ‘Make America Wealthy Again’, the president held up a chart detailing the worst offenders, hitting at foreign “cheaters”.

These are some of the world leaders’ reactions.

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Trump’s tariffs explained

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said there is “no justification” for US tariffs.

“I deeply regret the US decision to impose 20% tariffs on imports from across the European Union,” the taoiseach added.

“We see no justification for this. More than €4.2bn worth of goods and services are traded between the EU and the US daily.

“Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship benefits no one. Tariffs drive inflation, hurt people on both sides of the Atlantic, and put jobs at risk.”

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UK reacts to Trump’s tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order, on the day he delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Donald Trump holding the signed executive order. Pic: Reuters

Manfred Weber, the president of the largest party in the European Parliament, the EPP, said: “To our American friends, today isn’t liberation day – it’s resentment day. Donald Trump’s tariffs don’t defend fair trade; they attack it out of fear and hurt both sides of the Atlantic.

“Europe stands united, ready to defend its interests, and open to fair, firm talks.”

What to expect from the EU

There will be a response from the European Union – the question is how soon, and how tough.

A symbolic reprisal is one choice – putting tariffs on classic American products such as Harley-Davidson motorbikes or bottles of bourbon.

That won’t damage the European economy, but it won’t make much of a difference, either.

There’s a reluctance to slap wide-ranging, indiscriminate tariffs simply because that would increase costs for many European manufacturers.

So something more targeted may look appealing and that could mean going after the tech giants – Facebook, Apple, Google, Amazon, for example.

Companies who have already had rows with EU regulators and are seen as being, to varying extents, close to the White House.

If Europe could specifically target Tesla, it probably would.

There are also those suggesting the EU should hold fire for the moment, confident that Trump’s tariffs will backfire and keen that the effects are visible.

One fear is that some of the cheap goods that were destined for US markets will now be diverted to Europe, flooding its market.

Another fear is how the Windsor Framework will be affected, now that there are different US tariffs on either side of the Irish border.

And finally there is that insult from the President, who called the European Union “pathetic”. A few minutes later, a senior EU diplomat sent me a message saying “the US is Brexiting the world, but you can’t stop the march of folly”.

Transatlantic relations are getting even icier.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country would fight tariffs with countermeasures.

“It’s essential to act with purpose and with force, and that’s what we will do,” he told reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss Canada’s response.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “It is the American people who will pay the biggest price for these unjustified tariffs.

“This is why our government will not be seeking to impose reciprocal tariffs. We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, seen as close ally of the US president, called the tariffs “wrong” and said they would not benefit the United States.

“We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the goal of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favour of other global players,” she said.

The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to protect the country’s companies and workers and to “continue to be committed to an open world.”

His Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, said: “We don’t want growing trade barriers.

“We don’t want a trade war.

“We want to find our way back to a path of trade and cooperation together with the US, so that people in our countries can enjoy a better life.”

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