The CEO of the health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was reportedly shot to death in downtown Manhattan this Wednesday without the motive being known.
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death outside a midtown Manhattan hotel where he was to speak at an investor meeting Wednesday morning, according to a person briefed on the investigation.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
Police did not release the name of the victim, but said a 50-year-old man was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside a Hilton before the shooter fled.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital but could not be saved. Preliminary investigations indicate this was not a random shooting, Mayor Eric Adams said.
“It appears that it was a murder specifically targeting him,” Adams said.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. The company, based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, was scheduled to hold its annual meeting with investors in New York City to update them on the company's direction and expectations for next year, according to a company notice. On Wednesday morning it was announced to attendees that the conference would end ahead of schedule.
The Hilton is in a busy part of Manhattan, just steps from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center, and is often packed with tourists and office workers on weekday mornings. The popular Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting is scheduled for Wednesday night.
Part of the block where the shooting took place was cordoned off with police tape, with a large contingent of police on the premises. There are many security cameras nearby.
Thompson had served as CEO for more than three years and had been with the company since 2004.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tweeted that the state is “sending our prayers to Brian's family and the team at UnitedHealthcare.”
“This is horrible news and a terrible loss for the business and healthcare community in Minnesota,” the Democrat wrote.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the United States and manages health insurance coverage for employers and federally and state-funded Medicaid programs.