UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead on Wednesday morning in New York. The incident occurred before 7 am at a Manhattan hotel, news agency IANS reported. The 50-year-old was found in an unconscious state with a gunshot wound in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The shooter fled the scene, and the authorities are on the hunt for a suspect described as a white male wearing a black hoodie, black pants, and black sneakers with white trim. The individual was also reportedly seen carrying a grey backpack and allegedly possessed a firearm fitted with a silencer.
The police believe the attack on the CEO seems to be a targeted one as it happened during UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference in New York City.
According to the New York Times, Thompson had arrived early to prepare, according to the people familiar with the investigation. The gunman apparently knew which door Thompson was going to enter and shot him several times from mere feet away, then fled.
The gunman, the people said, ran, jumped on a bicycle and pedalled away. It was reported that after 9 am (US Time) on Wednesday, yellow caution tape closed off the section of West 54th Street just outside the hotel entrance. The only sign of trouble was a small group of police officers huddled in front of a check-in sign for the conference.
According to the official website of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson was named chief executive officer for UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. UnitedHealthcare employs more than 100,000 people across the United States and globally, is part of UnitedHealth Group, ranked fifth in the Fortune 500.
Prior to this role, Brian served as chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare’s government programs business including Medicare & Retirement, the largest business dedicated to the health and well-being needs of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries; and Community & State, which provides health care products and services to states that care for the economically disadvantaged, the medically underserved and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage.
