NEW YORK (AP) – A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in a “brazen, targeted attack” on Wednesday outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurance company was holding an investor meeting, police said. It was announced hours earlier that a large-scale manhunt had begun for the assailant, who was on the run. Nearby is the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
brian thompson The 50-year-old man was shot and killed around 6:45 a.m. as he walked alone from a nearby hotel to the New York Hilton Midtown, police said. The gunman appeared to “wait for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind. firingsaid New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Police had not yet determined a motive.
“Many people passed in front of the suspect, but the suspect appeared to be waiting for his intended target,” Tisch said, adding that the shooting “does not appear to be a random act of violence.” .
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed Wednesday morning in what investigators say was a targeted shooting outside a Manhattan hotel where he was scheduled to speak at an investor conference.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows someone coming out from behind a parked car, pointing a gun at Thompson’s back and firing multiple shots from several feet away. The gunman continued firing, but was interrupted by a brief gunshot as Thompson stumbled forward and fell to the pavement. He then ran past Thompson and out of frame.
“Based on the video, he appears to be skilled with firearms, as he was able to quickly resolve malfunctions,” said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney.
This combination of images provided by the New York City Police Department shows the suspect who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurance company was holding an investor meeting on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. It shows. (New York) City Police Department (via AP)
Tisch said Thompson was shot at least once in the back and once in the calf.
Police said the gunman, wearing a jacket, a face mask and a large backpack, fled on foot through Midtown and then rode an electric bike into Central Park a few blocks away. The assailant remained at large on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a police search using drones, helicopters and dogs.
This image provided by the New York City Police Department shows the suspect who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurance company was holding an investor meeting on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. There is. (New York City Police Department) via AP
“Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,” the Minnetonka, Minn.-based insurance company’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, said in a statement. “We are working closely with the New York City Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.”
Police issued a poster showing a surveillance image of a man pointing what appeared to be a gun, and another image of a man believed to be riding a bicycle. Minutes before the shooting, he stopped at a nearby Starbucks, according to additional surveillance photos released by police Wednesday afternoon. They offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that Thompson told her “there were people who were threatening him.” He did not provide details, but suggested the threat may be related to insurance coverage issues.
A sweepstakes poster hangs on a telephone pole outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Jeremiah)
Eric Warner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the officer.
The murder, about four blocks from where tens of thousands of people were expected to gather for Wednesday night’s tree lighting ceremony, shook a normally quiet part of New York City. Police have promised additional security for the event.
The hotel is within walking distance of other attractions such as the Museum of Modern Art and Radio City Music Hall, and is often crowded with office workers and tourists on weekday mornings. There are many security cameras installed nearby.
New York police officers stand on 54th Street outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephen Jeremiah)
“We encourage New Yorkers to go about their daily lives and business, but to remain vigilant,” NYPD Chief Jeffrey Madley said in a statement.
Investigators recovered several 9mm shell casings from outside the hotel and a cell phone from the alleyway where the suspect fled. Kenney said they also searched Thompson’s hotel room, interviewed colleagues at UnitedHealthcare and looked at his social media.
Police said the electric bike the suspect used to ride into Central Park belonged to the city’s bike-sharing program, Citibike. A spokeswoman for Lyft, which runs the program, said the company had not yet been contacted by police.
UnitedHealthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn., lowered its flags to half-staff on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in memory of CEO Brian Thompson, who was shot and killed outside a New York hotel. (Kerem Yucel/Minnesota Public Radio, via AP)
Healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group held its annual meeting with investors to update Wall Street on the company’s direction and expectations for the coming year. The company ended the conference early following Thompson’s death.
“Unfortunately, as some of you may know, one of our team members is facing a very serious medical situation,” a company official told attendees, according to the transcript. “As a result, we unfortunately have to end today’s event. …I’m sure you understand.”
Mr. Thompson, a father of two sons, joined the company in 2004 and served as CEO for more than three years.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the United States, administering health insurance coverage for employers and state and federally funded Medicaid programs.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Post on social platform X The state said it is “sending prayers to Brian’s family and the United Healthcare team.”
“This is terrible news and a terrible loss for Minnesota’s business and health care communities,” the Democrats wrote.
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Associated Press writers Tom Murphy in Indianapolis, Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minn., and Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York, contributed to this article.
