Brian Thompson, CEO of insurance group UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot Wednesday morning in Manhattan in what New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch said was a “brazen, targeted attack,” as of the early stages of the investigation.
Thompson, 50, was shot outside of the New York Hilton Midtown, where the company was hosting its investors day. Police said in a Wednesday morning press conference that Thompson arrived early to the hotel, where a masked man appeared to have been waiting for about five minutes before firing at him. The man was wearing a light brown jacket, a black face mask, black-and-white sneakers, and a gray backpack. Several pedestrians passed the shooter before he discharged his firearm at Thompson. Thompson did not appear to have a security detail with him, police say.
“I want to be clear at this time,” Tisch said in the press conference. “Every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
Police discovered Thompson’s body at about 6:46 a.m., and he was rushed to Roosevelt Hospital in critical condition with at least one gunshot wound each in his back and calf. He was pronounced dead there at 7:12 a.m.
The gunman fled westbound toward the Avenue of the Americas, first by foot, then on an electric Citi Bike northbound on the avenue. He was last seen in Central Park. The police are still searching for the suspect and have access to surveillance footage. Officials are working with Citi Bike to gain access to the bike’s GPS system.
Police are offering $10,000 to anyone with information on Thompson’s death and have released flyers with surveillance photos of the gunman with a firearm and on a bicycle. Officials are interviewing Thompson’s family and coworkers to see if there were threats made against him in the past.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband has been threatened in the past. “There had been some threats,” she said. “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.”
UnitedHealth Group said said in a statement it is working with the NYPD.
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the statement said. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
The company halted its investor day around 9:10 a.m., Bloomberg reported. “We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation,” parent company UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said. One investor told Fortune attendees were seated looking at their open laptops when news broke during the event. People then began to get emotional and leave the room. New York–based employees at UnitedHealth subsidiary Optum were told to go home and take time off if needed. An email from the company to employees called the news of the shooting “shocking and horrific.”
Flags at UnitedHealthcare’s Minnetonka, Minn., headquarters were lowered to half-staff.
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare since 2021, Thompson was part of UnitedHealth Group since 2004 and previously served as CFO for UnitedHealthcare’s Employer and Individual, Community and State, and Medicare and Retirement businesses. UnitedHealth Group sits at No. 4 on the 2024 Fortune 500 list and No. 8 on the Fortune Global 500. It was the largest health care company by revenue in 2023.
Minnesota governor Tim Walz said the killing was “horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.”
Read more: UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting could accelerate emerging trend: Leaders who don’t want the corner office
