UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Latest York

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group‘s insurance unit, was fatally shot outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning in what appears to be “a brazen, targeted attack,” the Latest York Police Department said.

“I need to be clear at the moment, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a news conference Wednesday following the shooting.

“This doesn’t seem like a random act of violence,” she said, adding that the department is carrying out a full investigation.

Thompson, 50, led UnitedHealthcare, the biggest private health insurer within the U.S. He was on the technique to UnitedHealth Group’s investor day set for Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET on the Hilton, the NYPD said. The corporate canceled that event after the shooting.

Patrol officers responded to a 911 call at 6:46 a.m. ET a couple of person shot in front of the Hilton hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said in the course of the news conference. Officers arrived at 6:48 a.m. ET to search out Thompson on the sidewalk with gunshot wounds to his back and leg, he added. 

Emergency medical services brought Thompson to Roosevelt Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. ET, in accordance with Kenny.

The suspect showed up at the situation on foot, roughly five minutes before Thompson arrived outside the Hilton, Kenny said. Several people passed him as he waited for Thompson, he added.

As Thompson walked alone toward the Hilton, the suspect stepped onto the sidewalk from behind a automobile and approached Thompson from behind, firing several rounds that struck him not less than once within the back and not less than once in the precise calf, Kenny added. After initial shots, the gun appeared to malfunction before the suspect fired again.

Following the shooting, the suspect fled on foot into an alleyway between 54th and fifty fifth streets, in accordance with Kenny. He said the suspect then walked west on Avenue of the Americas, where he got onto an e-bike and rode toward Central Park.

Tisch said the suspect was last seen in Central Park on Center Drive early this morning. Kenny said the suspect wore a light-weight brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a “very distinctive” gray backpack.

The NYPD recovered three live 9 mm rounds and three discharged 9 mm shell casings on the scene, Kenny said. He added that they recovered a cellphone.

No arrests have been made. The NYPD has increased the reward within the case to $10,000, Tisch noted.

The suspect within the shooting was described as using a firearm with a silencer, an individual acquainted with the matter told CNBC.

Kenny said the NYPD is unable to find out yet whether the suspect used a silencer. The department will investigate that further, he said.

A hot dog vendor near the Hilton who was present at 6:30 a.m. ET said he didn’t hear any gunshots but noticed a sudden swarm of police. A Hilton doorman who began his shift at 7 a.m. ET said every thing seemed to be “pretty normal” on the hotel. Each people asked to not be named.

In an announcement, a spokesperson for Latest York Citi Bike-operator Lyft said the corporate stands “able to assist law enforcement with this investigation.”

Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette Thompson, and their two children.

Thompson’s wife told NBC News that he had been receiving threats. She said the NYPD told her it was a planned attack.

“Yes, there had been some threats principally I do not know, an absence of coverage? I do not know details,” she told NBC News. “I just know that he said there have been some those that had been threatening him.”

She told NBC News that Thompson didn’t alter any of his travel habits despite the threats.

“I am unable to really give a thoughtful response immediately,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News. “I just found this out and I’m attempting to console my children. “

UnitedHealth Group is the largest health-care conglomerate in the USA based on revenue and its roughly $563 billion market cap. UnitedHealthcare posted greater than $281 billion in revenue last yr, making up greater than two-thirds of UnitedHealth Group’s annual revenue for 2023.

Shares of UnitedHealth Group rose greater than 1% on Wednesday.

In an announcement Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group said it was “deeply saddened and shocked on the passing” of Thompson. The corporate called him a “highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.”

“We’re working closely with the Latest York Police Department and ask in your patience and understanding during this difficult time,” UnitedHealth Group said. “Our hearts exit to Brian’s family and all who were near him.”

Earlier Wednesday, the corporate canceled its investor event when it acknowledged a “medical situation” with an worker.

“I’m afraid that we – a few of you might know we’re coping with very serious medical situation with one among our team members,” Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty said in the course of the investor day, in accordance with a transcript. “And consequently, I’m afraid we will should bring to an end the event today, which I’m sure you may understand.”

Thompson had worked for United Health for just over 20 years, joining the corporate in April 2004 after spending nearly seven years at PwC, in accordance with his LinkedIn page. He stepped in as CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021 after serving as the highest executive of the insurance unit’s government programs.

Thompson was a resident of Maple Grove, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, and graduated valedictorian from the University of Iowa.

Gov. Kathy Hochul of Latest York said in an announcement Wednesday she was briefed on the shooting and directed the state police to supply the NYPD with any essential help with the investigation.

“Our hearts are with the family and family members of Mr. Thompson and we’re committed to making sure the perpetrator is dropped at justice,” she said.

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota called the killing “horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community” in a post Wednesday on X.

UnitedHealth Group remains to be grappling with the fallout from a ransomware attack in February targeting its company, Change Healthcare, which processes medical claims. The attack compromised the protected health information of not less than 100 million people.

— CNBC’s Ester Bloom and NBC News’ David K. Li contributed to this report.