Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside a Manhattan hotel in what officials say was a “targeted” attack.
Brian Thompson, 50, was fired upon by a masked man around 6:46 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where the company was set to hold an investor meeting.
The married healthcare boss, who was worth an estimated $43 million, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries.
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His alleged assassin reportedly fled the scene on a e-bike and remains at large. The New York Post reported that the suspected gunman wore a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, and black and white sneakers. He also appeared to be wearing a backpack in chilling screengrabs of security footage released by police.
“It appears as though this was a targeted murder,” Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.
The mayor also insisted to locals—and tourists, as the shooting took place less than a half-mile from Times Square—that “this does not appear to be a random act of violence.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gunman “was lying in wait for several minutes” before opening fire at Thompson from behind.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said.
Tisch said Thompson was shot “at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf.” Earlier reports, which cited sources, said the executive had been shot through the chest.
Sources told the Post that the suspect fired at Thompson “from a distance” after spotting him on the street. Prior to that, he’d supposedly been “milling” around the vicinity of the hotel. Other sources confirmed that account to Bloomberg, claiming the gunman was about 20 feet from Thompson when he opened fire.
Joseph Kenny, the New York Police Department’s chief of detectives, said the gunfire erupted shortly after Thompson exited a hotel across the street from the Hilton. He added that Thompson did not appear to be in any danger and had no security detail around him.
Thompson, a father of two who lived in a suburb of Minneapolis, was scheduled to speak at the investor meeting later Wednesday at the Hilton, according to a press release from the company. Police said he’d been in New York since Monday.
“He was a good person and I am so sad,” said his sister-in-law, Elena Reveiz, in an interview with The New York Times.
Thompson’s wife, Pauley Reveiz Thompson, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, but she told NBC News that her husband had received threats related to a “lack of coverage.” Her Facebook profile shows her smiling between two teenage boys who may be the couple’s children.
Elena Reveiz, Pauley Reveiz Thompson’s sister, said Thompson was a “good father” and that she was already traveling to be with her sister and family.
Thompson’s LinkedIn said he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Iowa in 1997 as his class’ valedictorian. It appears he and Reveiz remained fans of the university’s athletics after graduation, with a post from 2008 showing them draped in Hawkeye gear with friends.
Police are offering a reward of $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest of Thompson’s killer.
The UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, began its investor meeting at 8 a.m. but brought it to a halt a little over an hour later.
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation,” Andrew Witty, who is chief executive of the parent company, told investors before abruptly halting the event.
The investor meeting was well publicized in advance. A news release shared by the company said its massive 2024 revenue of $450 billion to $455 billion was set to be discussed, as well as its stock’s positive movement on Wall Street.
Thompson, who headed up UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, known as UnitedHealthcare, had been with the company for more than 20 years, according to his LinkedIn.
He was tapped for the chief executive role in April 2021 at the company, which is the largest health insurance company in the world and ranks eighth on the Fortune Global 500 list. UnitedHealthcare insures more than 52 million people worldwide, with about 90 percent of those in the U.S.
The parent company is based in Minnesota, but many executives were in New York for its investor meeting.
A spokesperson for the UnitedHealth Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials in Minnesota, including Gov. Tim Walz, have since issued statements about the cold-blooded slaying.
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” he said in a statement.
Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, spoke similarly.
“This is a shocking and devastating loss for our whole community,” he said. “‘Shocking’ is the only word I can find at the moment.”
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar added: “This is a horrifying and shocking act of violence. My thoughts are with Brian Thompson’s family and loved ones and all those working at United Healthcare in Minnesota.”
