The moment Brian Thompson is shot dead by the assassin. Photo / NYPD
A manhunt is under way after the head of America’s biggest health insurer was shot dead by a masked gunman in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside an investor meeting in New York.
Brian Thompson, 50, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was killed outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan at about 6.45am.
He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than 30 minutes after the attack.
The killer had been lying in wait for several minutes before firing several rounds at the father-of-two, who was struck in the back and the calf, according to police.
CCTV footage shows the moment the gunman shoots Thompson.
Thompson can be seen in a blue suit walking down the street when the shooter steps out from behind a car holding a firearm, which appears to have a silencer attached.
Thompson is then seen stumbling away from the attacker after he is struck. The killer then follows him and continues shooting as the businessman falls to the ground.
The suspect is still at large after fleeing on foot into an alleyway. He then rode a CitiBike electric bicycle into Central Park, which is five blocks away from the scene of the shooting.
Thompson’s wife said her husband had received threats before.
“There had been some threats,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage?” she said, referring to her husband’s role in the health insurance field.
“I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.
“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.”
Thompson confirmed she had been told the murder was thought to have been a “targeted attack”.
Joseph Kenny, the New York Police Department (NYPD) chief of detectives, described the killer as a light-skinned male wearing a cream-coloured jacket, a black face mask and a distinctive grey backpack.
Police released images showing the gunman wearing a hooded top opening fire and then fleeing on the bike. Detectives are offering a US$10,000 ($17,000) reward for information about the killer.
Later, further pictures were released by the NYPD showing the suspected gunman on the morning of the attack wearing a black rain jacket with the hood up, his face partially covered by a black mask.
In the photographs he is wearing a grey backpack with brown detailing. It appears to be the “everyday backpack” from brand Peak Design, which costs more than US$300. The waterproof backpack includes three configurable dividers “to keep gear organised”.
The pictures were taken in a Starbucks, according to a law official, speaking to the New York Times.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooting appeared to be a “brazen targeted attack” and did “not appear to be a random act of violence”.
“It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes, and as the victim was walking to the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf,” she told a press conference.
UnitedHealthcare is the health insurance subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, which is the fourth biggest publicly traded United States company by sales.
UnitedHealthcare’s Employer and Individual products are used by almost 30 million people in the US, according to an investor presentation.
Thompson, who had been chief executive since April 2021, received a total compensation in 2023 of US$10.2 million, according to a regulatory filing.
Before becoming chief executive he oversaw UnitedHealthcare’s government programmes including Medicare from July 2019 to April 2021.
The UHC company is a major player in US private healthcare, providing workplace health insurance as well as administering huge healthcare programmes like Medicare and Medicaid for older and low-income people funded by state budgets.
The group 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. 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.”
Kenny said there was “no way of knowing” whether the gunman was a professional hitman, but he seemed “proficient in the use of firearms”.
According to the NYPD, the shooter arrived outside the Hilton Hotel, where the conference was being held, at about 6.40am.
Around five minutes later, Thompson was seen walking towards the venue after leaving his own hotel.
The gunman then stepped onto the pavement from behind a car, approached the victim from behind and shot him in the back.
The gun then appeared to malfunction, with the killer clearing the jam before continuing to shoot.
The shooter then fled, with officers arriving at the scene at 6.48am to find Thompson with gunshot wounds to his back and leg.
Video footage showed officers performing CPR on Thompson. He was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7.12am.
The killer was last seen on an e-bike riding down Centre Drive, he added. There is a GPS tracker on the bike which the police are working to track.
There was a witness standing next to Thompson when he was shot and officers are working to contact that person, officers said.
Detectives recovered three live 9mm rounds from the scene and three 9mm shell casings. They also recovered a mobile phone from the alleyway where the gunman fled, which will be sent for forensic processing.
Kenny said the motive for the murder was “currently unknown”.
He added: “Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted, but at this point, we do not know why”.
He said the shooter was wearing “a light brown or cream-coloured jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a very distinctive grey backpack”.
Police officers urged New Yorkers to go about their daily lives. They said the tree lighting at the Rockefeller Centre would go ahead as planned with a “massive” police presence.
The UnitedHealth Group cancelled its investor conference, which had started at 8am.
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” chief executive Andrew Witty said.
Thompson’s sister-in-law, Elena Reveiz, told the New York Times: “He was a good person, and I am so sad”, adding that he was a good father to his two children.
Eric Adams, the New York Mayor, said the shooting appeared to be targeted.
“We want to be clear to New Yorkers that this does not appear to be a random act of violence,” he told reporters.
“We are deeply saddened by this morning’s events in the area and our thoughts are with all affected by the tragedy,” a New York Hilton Midtown general manager told CNN.
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