A manhunt is underway after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead on Wednesday morning in what cops described as a “brazen targeted attack” outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
Thompson’s wife said her husband had recently received threats from angry customers over complaints she believed may have had to do with “a lack of coverage.”
“I don’t know details,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
The unnamed suspect was lying in wait for Thompson, 50, then approached him from behind and opened fire, hitting him in the back and right calf, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. The alleged shooter, a white male dressed entirely in black, fled on a Citi Bike ebike following the shocking homicide and was last spotted in Central Park, Kenny said, noting that “a cellphone was recovered,” and that Citi Bikes, which require a debit card or credit card to rent, are equipped with GPS devices.
Thompson’s killing was “not a random act of violence,” Kenny said. The suspect, who was not a guest at the Hilton, was seen walking alone to the soon-to-be crime scene about five minutes before Thompson arrived. The suspect then stepped out from behind a car and gunned Thompson down, according to police.
Reached by phone, Thompson’s brother Mark told The Independent he was not yet ready to comment on the heartbreaking situation.
Elena Reveiz, Thompson’s sister, told The New York Times that she is also still processing the news but that her brother “was a good person, and I am so sad.”
The NYPD confirmed to The Independent in the aftermath of the shooting that “a 50-year-old male” had been fatally gunned down at that location, but that it was withholding an announcement of the victim’s identity pending official family notification. Police officials formally identified Thompson at a press conference later on Wednesday morning.
Police sources told the New York Post that the killing was a “targeted attack,” which was confirmed during the press conference by Chief Kenny. Investigators recovered three live nine-millimeter rounds and three discharged nine-millimeter shell casings, according to Kenny. On Wednesday afternoon, the NYPD released security camera photos of the suspect at a nearby Starbucks.
Thompson, who joined parent company UnitedHealth Group in 2004, and became CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooting occurred at around 6:46 a.m.; the masked gunman was said to have fled down an alleyway before escaping on a bicycle. Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor conference at the Hilton at 8 a.m.
One conference attendee described the scene inside to Fortune, telling the outlet that people were sitting and waiting for the event to begin when news of the shooting began to circulate throughout the room. Some started to cry. The attendee, who said he dined with Thompson, was “a stand up guy, a good dude. I’ve never met anyone who had anything bad to say about him.”
Police sources said Thompson was not staying at the hotel, and that they have not yet determined a motive for the fatal attack. No arrests have been made. The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect.
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media. “Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
Before taking the CEO job, Thompson, a father of two who works out of UnitedHealthcare’s Minnetonka, Minnesota offices, worked as the company’s head of government programs. His annual compensation package of $10.2 million put him among highest-paid executives at UnitedHealthcare.
A caterer for Wednesday’s investor event told 1010 WINS that she suspected something was amiss when no one showed up for the opening session.
The investor conference was subsequently canceled, with a company official telling attendees they were “dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members.”
A statement released several hours later by UnitedHealth Group said, “We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
