CEO of UnitedHealthcare Murdered in Apparent Targeted Attack in NYC
An insurance executive was shot to death Wednesday morning in Manhattan as he entered a hotel to prepare for an investor conference.
Brian Thompson, 50, who was the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance division was shot at about 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, according to the New York Post.
The gunman had been at the hotel for some time prior to Thompson’s arrival, according to CNN.
The gunman fired multiple shots from about 20 feet away.
Police said the shooting was targeted at Thompson.
A report in The New York Times said the shooter appeared to know ahead of time which door Thompson would use when entering the hotel.
🚨🚨BREAKING NEWS… 🚔🚒🚑 Targeted assassination…United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, shot numerous times in chest outside Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, NY. Masked gun, standing in wait fired multiple times from 20 ft away, then fled on bicycle. DEVELOPING… #NYC pic.twitter.com/ST03dkx50G
— Steve Norris (@SteveNorrisTV) December 4, 2024
As of mid-morning Eastern time, no one was in custody.
Thompson was struck in the chest, the Post reported.
He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The suspect escaped through an alley near the hotel and left the scene on a bike.
Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said the firm planned to hold its Investor Day conference at the hotel. The event was later canceled.
The suspect was described as a “white male wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, and black and white sneakers,” carrying a gray backpack.
Thompson spent the last 20 years with UnitedHealth.
He became CEO in 2021 and worked in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where the group is headquartered.
“I wasn’t paying attention and then I heard the shot. It was silent gun, black gun. [I] saw him after he shot him and was running across the street. I tried take a picture, but was too far away, not clear,” said Amar Abdelmula, a driver who was near the Hilton at the time of the shooting, according to WABC-TV.
“I was shocked. First time I saw crime in front of me. I was afraid he’d shoot me too, my car. I saw everything.”
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