Star Tribune
UHC CEO Brian Thompson is shot and killed in New York City
After clearing the jam, the shooter began to fire again, Kenny said, and then fled on foot.
Responding to reporter questions, Kenny said police don’t know if the shooter could have been a professional, nor could investigators say if there was a silencer on the weapon. From watching the video, he said, “it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly.”
After his initial flight from the scene, the suspect was later seen riding an e-bike, including when he was spotted in Central Park.
“The motive for this murder currently is unknown,” Kenny said. “Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted. But at this point, we do not know why.”
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer. It is a division of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, which is the fourth-largest public company in America behind Walmart, Amazon and Apple.
His wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he had been receiving threats. “There had been some threats,” she said in a phone call with NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
Star Tribune
Prison for man stemming from shooting death in Twin Cities home where toddler present
A 23-year-old man has received a sentence of 3¾ years in connection with a shooting of a resident in his Brooklyn Park home more than two years ago.
Marlon J. White, of Brooklyn Park, was sentenced Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court to second-degree manslaughter stemming from the death of Khalib K. Blunt, 20, on Sept. 28, 2022, at a house in the 7800 block of N. Tessman Drive.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, White is expected to serve the first 2½ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
According to the charges and police:
A 911 caller sent police to the home, where they found Blunt down in the entry. Blunt, shot in the chest, died soon afterward at North Memorial Health Hospital.
Officers questioned White at the scene about the gun’s location. He first denied knowing where the gun was but then said he put it in his car parked nearby. An officer found the handgun under the driver’s seat.
White told police he was standing next to Blunt in the living room, heard a gunshot and saw Blunt collapse near the front door. White said he grabbed the gun off the couch, along with his 2-year-old son, and put the gun in his car, then went to Blunt’s aid.
A witness told police he had gone to Blunt’s house that evening, and White was there. They were sitting on a couch smoking marijuana and watching a movie when he heard a gunshot, and saw Blunt get up and rush toward the steps. He said he never saw a gun that evening and didn’t know where it came from.
Star Tribune
Vikings’ nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year is C.J. Ham
Vikings veteran fullback C.J. Ham is the team’s nominee for the 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the team announced Thursday morning.
The Walter Payton Award is considered the league’s most prestigious honor and recognizes players who show a commitment to impacting their communities beyond the football field.
Thirty-two nominees, one from each franchise, will be recognized during the week of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The 2024 winner will be announced during NFL Honors on Feb. 6 on Fox and NFL Network.
Ham, who is from Duluth, and his wife, Stephanie, have supported a number of regional organizations and causes since Ham signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Augustana University in 2016.
On Dec. 10, the Hams and the Vikings will host the Southside Village Boys and Girls Club at TCO Performance Center in honor of his nomination. Ham spent time as a child at the Boys and Girls Club as his parents worked and has participated in a number of events benefiting locations across the Twin Cities.
“He truly is Minnesota’s favorite, and rightly so — and he doesn’t take that for granted, either,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said in a press release.
Ham started the Ham Scholarship Fund with his wife in 2022. Its goal is to provide financial support to students of color in the Duluth area so they can pursue higher education and improve retention and graduation rates.
C.J. and Stephanie Ham also host the annual “Pamper Her Purple” event for women who have survived cancer or are being treated for cancer. In October, 15 women received a day of pampering and dinner for the fourth annual event.
Star Tribune
Stretches of two metro area freeways will shut down this weekend
Thousands of motorists in the east and south metro face long detours this weekend as portions of two freeways will be closed due to construction.
In St. Paul, both directions of I-94 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday between Hwy. 61/Mounds Boulevard and Hwy. 52/E. 7th Street.
In Bloomington and Richfield, westbound I-494 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday between I-35W and Hwy. 100.
Eastbound lanes between Hwy. 100 and Hwy. 77/Cedar Avenue will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday. Then the closure will shrink, and only be in place between Hwy. 100 to I-35W. Those lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, the Minnesota Department of Transportation said.
Drivers will be directed to use Hwy. 100, Crosstown Hwy. 62 and Cedar Avenue to bypass the closures, MnDOT said.
The closures on I-494 are related to a major rebuilding of the freeway to add an EZ Pass lane in both directions, rebuild bridges over I-494 and add a new ramp at the I-35W/I-494 interchange.
City of St. Paul crews will finish taking down what is left of the Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street bridge over I-94.
A portion of the bridge connecting downtown St. Paul and the city’s East Side has already been demolished, and crews will finish the work this weekend. During the closure, eastbound motorists will be directed to use northbound I-35E to eastbound and southbound I-694 and reconnect with I-94 in Woodbury. Westbound drivers will be sent north and east on I-694 then south on I-35E, MnDOT said.