Members of the New York police crime scene unit photograph bullet holes on the sidewalk as they investigate the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Wednesday.
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Stefan Jeremiah/AP
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead outside a Manhattan hotel early Wednesday morning, prompting a search for his killer and condolences.
New York police said the suspect shot Thompson in the chest in a “targeted attack” at 6:46 a.m. ET outside New York’s Midtown Hilton Hotel — moments before the annual investor conference for parent company UnitedHealthcare was to begin.
Thompson, 50, lives in Minnesota but was visiting New York City for the conference, which has since been canceled. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Within hours, a manhunt was underway for the gunman, and tributes to Thompson circulated online.
“Brian is a respected colleague and friend to all who work with him,” UnitedHealth Group said in a statementadding that it works closely with the NYPD. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all those close to him.”
He is the CEO from 2021
UnitedHealthcare is the health benefits business of UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest private health insurance company.
The Minnesota-based company is rank 4 in the Fortune 500 and employs about 440,000 people worldwide. UnitedHealth Group became dominant, in fact, the US Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit just last month to try to block the $3.3 billion acquisition of competitors from home health care and hospice agencies.
Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021.
“Brian’s experience, relationships and values ​​make him the perfect fit to help UnitedHealthcare improve the way healthcare is delivered to consumers, physicians, employers, governments and other partners, leading to sustained and sustained long-term growth,” said Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, said in the release in time.
Thompson previously held various executive positions — most recently as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s government program business, including Medicare — since joining UnitedHealth Group in 2004, according to him. LinkedIn profile.
Prior to that, he spent more than half a decade working as a CPA at the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC.
Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a degree in business administration and accounting, according to LinkedIn.
A flag flies at half-mast outside United Healthcare’s corporate headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota, on Wednesday.
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He is a father of two
Thompson survived with his wife and two children, according to media reports.
Thompson’s sister-in-law, Elena Reveiz, told the New York Times that he is a good father.
“He was a good man, and I’m very sad,” he said.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he had received a threat.
“Actually, I don’t know, lack of coverage? I don’t know the details, I just know that he said that some people threatened him,” he said, adding that he couldn’t give more. was the answer he thought of as he tried to comfort his children.
NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a midnight news conference that while the motive for the shooting remains unclear, preliminary investigations suggest it was a “premeditated targeted attack.”
He said the suspect, who was wearing dark clothing and a mask, “waited for several minutes” before approaching Thompson from behind and firing several rounds.
Colleagues and public officials paid tribute
Several of Thompson’s former colleagues share recollections of him with Minnesota Star Tribune on Wednesday, remembering him as a hard worker and a good person.
John Penshorn, a former UnitedHealth Group executive who worked with Thompson for more than a decade before his 2019 retirement, described him as “humble, a servant and family leader.”
“He’s just an amazing guy — nice, resourceful,” said Steve Parente, a former Trump administration health official who said he worked with Thompson to implement a system to distribute federal financial aid to health care providers early in the COVID-19 pandemic. . “It’s just a total tragedy.”
Elected officials from Thompson’s home state of Minnesota — where UnitedHealthcare is a major employer — also paid tribute Wednesday, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“This is terrible news and a terrible loss for businesses and the health care community in Minnesota,” Walz wrote.
