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The CEO of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot and killed Wednesday morning in New York in what appeared to be a targeted attack, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Thompson, 50, was an executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, United Health Group, which was holding its annual investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.
Thompson was shot outside the Hilton Hotel at 54th and 6th Ave by a gunman who fired several shots and fled on an ebike down 6th Avenue, according to the NYPD. Thompson was shot “at least once in the back and at least once in the calf,” according to a spokesperson from the New York Police Department at a press conference that was livestreamed on YouTube.
The gunman is still at large and witnesses gave conflicting reports to police of what he looked like. Some witnesses described a man in a cream-colored coat while others said the man was wearing all black, according to the Times. The New York Post obtained surveillance footage that shows a figure in a darker-colored hooded sweatshirt who was wearing a lighter-colored backpack, which is probably where the confusion lies. The suspect also wore a black face mask.
Surveillance photos show suspect in fatal Midtown shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson https://t.co/mWQJgx0Cje pic.twitter.com/gqYdacOuZG
— New York Post (@nypost) December 4, 2024
Thompson was reportedly shot around 6:45 a.m. ET, he was pronounced dead at the hospital at 7:12 a.m. The investor’s conference started at 8:00 a.m. but wasn’t stopped until shortly after 9:00 a.m. Attendees of the conference seemed oblivious to the identity of the shooting victim, according to the New York Times, which quoted one person saying “someone got shot outside,” apparently unaware it was the company’s CEO.
Police recovered a phone allegedly discarded by the suspect near the shooting but NYPD didn’t provide any details about any evidence it may have been able to lift from that yet. The thing that’s clear is that this was a targeted act and the shooter was described by police as “proficient in firearms” because the shooter quickly cleared a jam that occurred when he was unloading several rounds.
“We want to be clear to New Yorkers that this does not appear to be a random act of violence,” Adams said, according to the New York Times.
Social media quickly filled with reactions to the shooting, including everything from shock to some dark humor. Given UnitedHealth’s long history of denying claims, there were more than a few jokes about how there are probably 100 million suspects in this country.
UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest companies in the country and headquartered in Minnesota, where politicians expressed their condolences. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, shared a link to a Star Tribune article about the killing.
“This is a horrifying and shocking act of violence,” Klobuchar wrote on X. “My thoughts are with Brian Thompson’s family and loved ones and all those working at United Healthcare in Minnesota.”
Police in New York are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect. UnitedHealth’s stock surged over 2.4% after news of the killing. It’s currently sitting up 1.4% on the day.
