UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot outside NYC hotel in ‘brazen, targeted attack,’ NYPD says

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed Wednesday in New York City, where he was set to speak at an “investor day” event.

The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot outside Manhattan’s New York Hilton Midtown hotel early Wednesday morning in what the police said appeared to be “a brazen, targeted attack.”

“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” the New York City Police Department’s commissioner, Jessica Tisch, told reporters at a press conference hours after the shooting, which the police said took place at 6:46 a.m. outside 1335 6th Avenue.

Thompson, 50, had been walking toward the Hilton hotel, where he was set to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s 8 a.m. investor conference, when a hooded gunman opened fire on the CEO from behind, striking him at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf, the police said.

“It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes,” Tisch said.

The police said the gunman fled the scene first on foot and then on an electric Citi Bike. A suspect, identified from surveillance footage, was last seen in Central Park on Wednesday morning, the police said. The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for tips leading to the gunman’s arrest.

UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, said in a statement, “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,” the statement said. “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.”

The NYPD’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said at the press conference that the shooter arrived on 6th Avenue about five minutes before Thompson.

“The shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind the car. He ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind, and shoots him in the back,” Kenny said. “The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot.”

Kenny added that the shooter’s weapon appeared to jam during the attack.

“From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms, as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” Kenny said.

A law-enforcement source with knowledge of the matter told B-17 that the surveillance footage showed a hooded gunman dressed in black with a gray backpack initially opening fire from about 20 feet behind Thompson as the CEO walked in the direction of the hotel.

“He definitely knew where he was going to be,” the source said of the shooter.

UnitedHealth Group canceled its investor day shortly after reports of the shooting broke.

The law-enforcement source, who is not authorized to talk to the press, said the gun appeared to be equipped with a silencer.

The police said officers found Thompson unconscious and unresponsive two minutes after the shooting. Emergency responders rushed him to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m.

The shooting occurred blocks from Midtown holiday tourism landmarks, including Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center, whose Christmas tree is scheduled to be lit Wednesday night.

By late morning, six evidence cups remained on the taped-off section of the sidewalk where the shooting happened.

“That’s covering the shell casings,” an officer at the scene told B-17, declining to give their name because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

UnitedHealth Group canceled its “investor day” conference shortly after reports of the shooting broke.

Investigators have not yet determined a motive for the killing.

Kenny said investigators were combing through Thompson’s social media and interviewing employees and family members and would be talking to law enforcement in Minnesota, where Thompson lived and where UnitedHealth Group and UnitedHealthcare are based.

Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News in an interview that her husband had been receiving threats.

“Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage?” she said. “I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

The police department in his hometown of Maple Grove, Minnesota, told B-17 it hadn’t been notified of any threats he might have received. Theresa Keehn, the Maple Grove police administrator, initially said Maple Grove had no record of calls for service to his house, but the department later said it had responded to a 2018 call from Paulette Thompson. According to an incident report, Paulette had been walking to bed when she saw the front door deadbolt turn and grew afraid someone was inside the house. Police did not find anyone inside the house.

The NYPD said Thompson arrived in New York City on Monday and was staying at a hotel across the street from where he was shot.

The police marked evidence at the scene of the shooting.

Thompson spent 20 years at UnitedHealth Group and served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the health-benefits unit, since April 2021.

While announcing his promotion, the company said Thompson would “drive continued growth across the global, employer, individual, specialty, and government benefits business while continuing the company’s focus on ensuring access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.”

Thompson had previously served as CEO of the group’s government programs, running its programs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.

Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, said in a statement on the social-media site X that the shooting death was “horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.”

“Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team,” Walz said.

Thompson’s former brother-in-law, Bassel El-Kasaby, told B-17 that Thompson was “a good guy. Very successful and very humble. Just a decent, hardworking Midwest guy.

“Whoever did this is a coward and a loser,” El-Kasaby said.