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A senior executive at US healthcare company UnitedHealth Group was fatally shot ahead of an investor event in midtown Manhattan, in what officials said appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack”.
Brian Thompson, 50, who had served as the chief executive of the Minnesota-based group’s UnitedHealthcare insurance division since 2021, was pronounced dead at hospital after being shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown early Wednesday morning, police said.
The killing “does not appear to be a random act of violence”, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a press conference. “Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”
UnitedHealth 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,” describing him as “a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him”.
The NYPD, which is offering up to $10,000 for information on the shooting, said officers responded to a call at 6.48am on Wednesday and found Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the sprawling hotel, “with gunshot wounds to his back and leg”. The victim was taken to nearby Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after 7am, the NYPD added.
Tisch said that the suspected killer appeared to have been lying in wait for Thompson for several minutes and singled him out in a “brazen, targeted attack” as he arrived at the hotel for the event. The suspect approached Thompson from behind and fired several rounds with his gun, which was fitted with a silencer, hitting him in the back and leg, she said.
The suspect fled “first on foot” and then on an electronic bike. He was last seen in Central Park on Wednesday morning, and a mobile phone was found in the alleyway where he was seen fleeing. The NYPD said there was a GPS on the bike and it would work to access that data.
© Reuters
© Reuters
The shooter appeared to be a light-skinned male carrying a “distinctive grey backpack”, according to NYPD chief Joseph Kenny. A manhunt is underway for the suspect, and there was no indication yet of a motive for the shooting.
UnitedHealth said it was working with the NYPD on the investigation, adding: “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
UnitedHealth cancelled its investor meeting not long after it began at 8am. Thompson, who lived in Minnesota where the healthcare group is headquartered, was due to speak at the event later in the day, alongside other leaders including group chief executive Andrew Witty.
Witty abruptly ended the event on Wednesday morning after reports of the incident emerged. “I’m afraid that . . . some of you may know we’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members and as a result I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” he said.
Thompson, who had worked at UnitedHealth since 2004, held multiple roles within its UnitedHealthcare insurance division, including working in corporate development and serving as finance chief of its Medicare and retirement division.
UnitedHealth, which has a market value of $566bn, generated nearly $372bn in revenues last year, making it the fourth-biggest publicly traded US company by sales. UnitedHealthcare — the biggest US health insurer, which Thompson ran — contributed about 75 per cent of the group’s revenues.
Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic senator for Minnesota, called the incident “a horrifying and shocking act of violence” in a post on the social media platform X.
New York police officials said there was no intention of postponing the planned lighting of the Christmas tree at nearby Rockefeller Center, due to happen later on Wednesday, which they said would carry on with a large police presence.
