Month: December 2024

UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed at point-blank range by a masked gunman in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, shortly before he was set to attend an investor conference, according to police. Police said the 50-year-old CEO was shot once in the back and once in the leg; he was rushed to Mount Sinai West hospital, but did not survive his injuries.

News outlets reported the attacker used a silenced firearm in what is believed to be a targeted attack of Thompson.  NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that the gunman appeared to be lying in wait and shot Thompson several times from behind, at around 6:40 a.m.  Tisch stressed that the shooting appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack” that was “premeditated,” but the motive remains unknown.

Thompson was in New York City for the UnitedHealthcare investors conference set to be held at the Hilton Hotel,  outside of which he was shot. The hotel is by the intersection of West 54th Street and Sixth Avenue, though Thompson was not staying there.  More than a dozen officers responded and blocked off West 54th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues for the morning commute.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said at the news conference that the shooter arrived at the scene about five minutes before Thompson arrived; after Thompson exited his hotel across the street and walked to the Hilton for the investors conference, the shooter stepped onto the sidewalk from behind a car and shot the CEO in the back. Kenny said: “the shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions, as he clears the jam and begins to fire again,” adding that the suspect fled on foot into an alley, where a phone was recovered. He then fled on an e-bike and he was last seen riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m.  The bikes are equipped with GPS and police are following up.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media: “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.  Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”

A spokesperson for UnitedHealthcare said that the company’s investors conference was scheduled to be livestreamed from a hotel ballroom starting at 8 a.m. but had since been canceled. According to UnitedHealthcare’s website, Thompson had been with UnitedHealthcare since 2004 and was named CEO in 2021. He was a father of two and an active member of his community. UnitedHealth Group said in a statement: “we are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said early Wednesday that he would lift the ’emergency martial law’ he imposed on Tuesday, after South Korea’s National Assembly voted early Wednesday morning to lift the decree he’d imposed, in which he declared the opposition party was plotting a rebellion against the government.

The official decree from Yoon, sent to reporters, had said that “all media and publications are subject to the control of martial law command.” Gen. Park An-su, South Korea’s Army Chief of Staff had banned all political activities after Yoon declared martial law on Tuesday night, which included demonstrations and political party activities.  The decree had warned that “fake news, public opinion manipulation and false propaganda are prohibited,” warning that violators could be arrested without a warrant.

Yoon charged his opponents with anti-state activities against the government, saying in a televised speech: “I declare martial law in order to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korea anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order.”

The BBC later reported that during a session at 1 a.m. local time the resolution was passed with 190 of 300 members of the ruling and opposition parties in attendance, with all present in the plenary session voting to demand Yoon lift martial law. The parliamentary speaker’s office said the vote makes the Yoon martial law declaration void, according to the country’s constitution. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people.” Woo called for police and military personnel to withdraw from the Assembly’s grounds.

As of Wednesday, Yoon said his government has withdrawn military personnel that had been deployed, and that he would formally lift martial law following a Cabinet meeting as “soon as members arrive.” Police and military personnel were seen leaving the Assembly’s grounds after Woo called for their withdrawal. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party (which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament) said the party’s lawmakers will remain in the Assembly’s main hall until Yoon formally lifts his order.

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A Secret Service special agent protecting U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen opened fire early Tuesday on people who were suspected of car break-ins. Yellen was not harmed and there’s no indication she or the Secret Service were specifically targeted. Per Politico, it was unclear if Yellen was home at the time of the incident.

The Secret Service said in a statement that a special agent was working “a protective assignment” on Stephenson Place NW in Washington, D.C., at about 1:30 a.m. when the agent “observed a sedan with multiple occupants who were attempting to open car doors along the street.” The occupants of the vehicle confronted the Secret Service agent, and fled the scene after an agent fired shots, authorities say, adding that there was no evidence anyone was shot.  The Secret Service said that “there was no threat to any protectees during this incident and no protectees were harmed,” and the search for the suspects is ongoing.

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Force Investigations Team is underway, with the case also under review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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State and local law enforcement confirmed that a man wielding a chainsaw inside a senior-living facility in St. Charles, Illinois, was shot and killed by police early Sunday. Officers and residents of the assisted-living facility were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The man, who has not publicly been identified, was allegedly attempting to cut down a tree on the facility’s property at about 8:45 a.m. on Sunday.  The St. Charles Police Department said in a press statement that when police arrived at the facility at the 900 block of North 5th Avenue, the man was ‘shirtless’, adding: “just before police arrival, witnesses advised the subject had now gained entry to the lobby of the building and began confronting residents with the chainsaw …the suspect continued his attempts to use the chainsaw against residents of the building,” as well as against responding officers.

The Illinois State Police said in a press release that officers used a taser on the man, “but his attack continued,” and then an officer fired his gun, striking the alleged attacker, upon which “the male suspect was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”

According to local ABC affiliate WLS-TV  a spokesperson for River Glen of St. Charles said the person was never authorized to enter the facility. They added:  “We are deeply grateful for the swift action of our team and law enforcement. We want to emphasize that our community is secure, and all of our residents and staff members are safe. We are working closely with law enforcement as they continue their investigation of this isolated incident.”

The Illinois State Police said it was continuing to investigate the cause of the shooting.

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The White House is defending President Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, after the President had repeatedly insisted that he had no plans to grant such executive clemency. Biden issued the sweeping pardon on Sunday evening before heading off on an official trip to Africa, and it covers any potential federal crimes that 54-year-old Hunter may have committed over the course of a decade.

Hunter Biden became the first child of a sitting US president to be criminally convicted in June, after a jury in Delaware found him guilty of three charges for lying about his drug use on a form when buying a handgun. He also pleaded guilty to federal tax charges that included failure to file and pay his taxes, tax evasion and filing a false return just this past September. The pardon covers any potential federal crimes that Hunter Biden may have committed between January 2014 and December 2024, spanning a period beyond the tax and gun offenses.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that Biden had “wrestled” over the decision during the family’s Thanksgiving break on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, at the weekend. Jean-Pierre said that Biden had pardoned his son, who was facing sentencing later this month in two federal cases, to shield him from potential persecution by the outgoing president’s political foes.

As recently as last month, Jean-Pierre was still telling reporters that Biden would not pardon his son; however, she told reporters on Air Force One en route to Angola: “He said he came to this decision this weekend, and he said he wrestled with this and, because he believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice  .. Hunter was singled out, and because his last name was Biden, because he was the president’s son. That’s what we saw. And so the president believed enough is enough, and the president took action, and he also believes that they tried to break his son in order to break him.”

President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans have lambasted the move, with Trump calling it “an abuse and miscarriage of justice”, and House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that “trust in our justice system has almost been irreparably damaged by the Bidens and abuse of it”.  

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