CEO murdered in New York City hit – police

A masked attacker opened fire on UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday morning in Manhattan, the New York Police Department has said. The executive died after being rushed to a local hospital.

UnitedHealthcare is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest health insurance companies in the US. Thompson, 50, was scheduled to speak at their investor conference at the Hilton Midtown in New York City.

At 6:46am, as Thompson approached the venue, a masked man who had been “milling around” in the vicinity of the hotel pulled out a gun and opened fire, police told local media.

Thompson was struck in the chest multiple times. He was taken to an area hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries.
The NYPD suspects a “targeted attack,” according to Bloomberg and local outlet WPIX-TV.

Witnesses told the New York Post that the man had been spotted near the hotel, apparently waiting for Thompson. He was described as a white male wearing a cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, and a gray backpack.

After shooting Thompson, he fled down an alley on foot and jumped on a bicycle to flee the scene, eyewitnesses said.

Investigators are looking for CCTV footage that could help them identify the shooter, the New York Daily News reported. The NYPD suspects that the gunman had been waiting in the alley for Thompson and that the shooting may have been a contract hit.

Thompson had started working for UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and became the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021.

UnitedHealth’s investor conference was called off about an hour later when a spokesman told everyone in attendance that the company was “dealing with a very serious… situation.”