UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was shot and killed December 3, 2024 in Manhattan. (Photo courtesy of UnitedHealthcare)
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was shot and killed Wednesday morning outside the Hilton in midtown Manhattan, where he was set to speak to investors.
The search is on for the gunman who police say targeted Thompson in the shooting, although the motive remains unclear, according to the New York Times.
Thompson, a resident of Minnesota, took the leadership of UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division, one of the largest in the country, in 2021.
He was walking into a hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor meeting when he was shot in the chest by a masked man, who then fled on a bicycle, CNN reported. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investor meeting was abruptly called off after the shooting.
“We’re dealing with a serious… situation,” UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said, according to PIX11. “We will have to finish the event today… I apologize for ending things but I hope you will understand.”
UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest companies in the country, with $372 million in revenue last year.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the killing a “targeted attack.”
“This is terrible news and a terrible loss of business and health in Minnesota,” Gov. Tim Walz wrote on X.
This story was originally published by the Minnesota Reformer, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by donations and a consortium of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The Minnesota Reformer maintains freedom of expression. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican with questions: info@minnesotareformer.com. Follow the Minnesota Reformer on Facebook and X.