The CEO of one of the nation’s largest health insurers was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, according to the NYPD. The executive, CEO Brian Thompson of UnitedHealthcare Group, was shot in the chest and leg in what authorities say appeared to be a targeted attack.
Incident Details
The report said that Thompson, 50, was shot just after 6:45 a.m. at 1335 Sixth Avenue in front of the New York Hilton Midtown. Mr. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West in critical condition and passed away at the hospital. According to the report, NYPD is still searching for the gunman, who fled east on Sixth Avenue, the report said.
He was wearing a cream-colored jacket and a black face mask and was carrying a gray backpack. NYPD officials don’t believe there is any threat to the public. They also stated that they did not know the suspect’s motive. Police believe Mr. Thompson was targeted in the attack as he was heading into the company’s annual investor conference in New York City.
At 9 a.m. today, yellow caution tape closed off the section of West 54th Street just outside the hotel entrance. It was business as usual in the hotel, with people arriving with luggage and ordering food in the restaurants. The company cut off its investor event due to the traumatic event. Andrew Witty, chief executive of the parent company, announced to the investors that the company was “dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members” and would end its live presentation.
About Brian Thompson and UnitedHealthcare
Thompson was a longtime UnitedHealthcare employee who was named head of the insurance unit in 2021. Before that, he oversaw the insurer’s Medicare and Medicaid businesses. He began working at the company in 2004. He is a 1997 graduate of the University of Iowa, where he majored in business.
UnitedHealthcare Group Incorporated is an American multinational health insurance and services company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Selling insurance products under UnitedHealthcare and health care services under the Optum brand, it is the world’s eleventh-largest company in terms of revenue. In 2024, the company ranked 8th in the Fortune Global 500.[4] UnitedHealth Group had a market capitalization of $474.3 billion as of July 15, 2024.
Threats to Thompson
Paulette Thompson told NBC News that her husband had told her that “there were some people who had been threatening him.” She said she didn’t have details but intimated that the threats may have been related to issues with insurance coverage. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest, and police are asking for the public’s help in solving the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
