UnitedHealthcare CEO is fatally shot in a ‘targeted attack’ outside a New York hotel, officials say

NEW YORK (AP) — UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was shot and killed Wednesday morning in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, rattling the city and setting off a massive dragnet hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.

Brian Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said. The shooter appeared to be “lying in wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and opening fire, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Police had not yet established a motive.

“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting “does not appear to be a random act of violence.”

Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows the shooter emerging from behind a parked car, stopping and pointing a gun at Thompson’s back, holding it with two hands before firing multiple times from several feet away. The suspect continues shooting, interrupted by a brief gun jam, as Thompson stumbles forward and falls to the sidewalk. The shooter is then seen walking past Thompson and out of the frame.

“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,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Thompson was shot at least once in the back and once in the calf, Tisch said.

The shooter, whom police said appeared to be a man wearing a black face mask, light-colored jacket and carrying a gray backpack, then fled on foot down an alleyway before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away. The shooter was at large, sparking a search that included police drones, helicopters and dogs.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc, said in a statement.

“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” UnitedHealth Group said. “We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”