NYPD Investigating If UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooter Used “Veterinarian Gun”

New York police are investigating whether the gun used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “veterinary gun.”

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny shared that the enlarged handgun used by the suspected shooter appears to be the same style gun that veterinarians use to euthanize animals.

Kenny shared, “It’s a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches. If an animal has to get put down, the animal can be shot without causing a loud noise.”

“When he fires that shot, the next thing that happens is not him trying to fire a second shot and having the gun jam – that’s not what occurs,” added Kenny.

“He fires a shot and racks the slide; then he fires a second time, then racks the slide. Then the gun jams, and you see him racking to clear it,” Kenny continued.

Cops probing if Brian Thompson’s killer used ‘veterinary’ gun commonly used to euthanize animals pic.twitter.com/LxDc1Zf19c

— DM Geopolitics (@BagZmore) December 7, 2024

Original reporting was that the UHC CEO shooter had a silencer, and also that the gun jammed. Neither are true. The gun was a Brügger & Thomet VP9, a veterinary pistol used to put down animals, pictured here as manufactured, barrel and all. It is single action weapon. There were… pic.twitter.com/ctepMfGXn4

— Jeffrey Evan Gold (@jeffgoldesq) December 7, 2024

Here’s what The New York Post reported:

Cops are probing whether the weapon used to kill United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “veterinary” gun commonly used to euthanize animals, an NYPD official said.

The murder weapon used in the assassination of Thompson “appears to be a larger handgun” similar to the style of a veterinary gun, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

“It’s a weapon commonly used on farms and ranches. If an animal has to get put down, the animal can be shot without causing a loud noise,” Kenny explained Friday.

The police official’s remarks were echoed by retired NYPD Captain John Monaghan, who called the gun a “unique weapon” during an interview with CNN on Saturday.

“When he fires that shot, the next thing that happens is not him trying to fire a second shot and having the gun jam – that’s not what occurs,” Monaghan said while surveillance video of the slaying played on the screen.

Police: Shooter may have used veterinary gun to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have used what is known as a veterinary gun, a larger firearm used on farms and ranches. pic.twitter.com/U99ftAMVc3

— AfrikTimes International (@afriktimesint) December 7, 2024

Per CNN:

YPD divers were searching a body of water in New York’s Central Park on Saturday for the firearm used in the fatal shooting of a health care executive in Manhattan, a law enforcement official told CNN, as the search for the gunman nears the end of its fourth day.

The divers were seen in water known as the Lake, near the park’s iconic boathouse and Bethesda Fountain, the official said.

At least two key pieces of evidence in the Wednesday killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson continued to evade investigators Saturday, including an electric bike the suspect rode and the gun used in the killing.

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On Friday evening, authorities found a backpack in the park which will be tested at a forensic lab in Queens, a law enforcement official told CNN.

No gun was found in the backpack believed to have belonged to the gunman, law enforcement officials said Saturday. Authorities have yet to officially confirm the bag’s origins, an official told CNN Friday.

Timeline of events before and after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing. Here’s what we know
The Peak Design backpack contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, according to the officials. It was not immediately clear if other items were in the backpack, officials said.