The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one the nation’s largest insurers, was killed Wednesday in midtown Manhattan in what police described as a targeted attack by a shooter outside a hotel where the company was holding a conference.
The shooter fled on foot into an alleyway and was last seen on an e-bike heading into Central Park. New York City police said the attack on Brian Thompson was planned, but the motive was not yet clear.
Here’s what to know:
What happened?
Police said Thompson was heading to the company’s annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown around 6:45 a.m. when a person walked up behind him and shot him multiple times.
Thompson was alone at the time and did not have a security detail, police said.
Officers found Thompson on the ground outside the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and right calf, according to Joseph Kenny, the police department’s chief of detectives. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at 7:12 a.m.
What do we know about the shooter?
Kenny said the shooter appeared to be a man who was wearing a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a “very distinctive” gray backpack.
He arrived outside the hotel about five minutes before Thompson got there, waiting near the building and ignoring others before he approached Thompson from behind.
He began to fire at Thompson, hitting him in the back. The gun then malfunctioned, but he was able to quickly fix the issue and continue firing, Kenny said.
“From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” Kenny said.
The shooter ran into an alleyway near the hotel and later got onto an e-bike that he took into Central Park.
Kenny said police found a cellphone in the alleyway, but it was unclear if it belonged to the shooter.
Who was Brian Thompson?
Thompson was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance wing of parent company UnitedHealth Group Inc.
He had worked at the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company for two decades and led its insurance division since 2021. He was one of the company’s highest-paid executives, with a $10.2 million annual compensation package.
Thompson kept a low profile, with UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s CEO Andrew Witty taking on a more public-facing role that included testifying before Congress.
Thompson started his career as a certified public accountant and graduated from the University of Iowa. He lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove.
His wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband said some people had been threatening him. She did not have details but suggested they may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the investigation.
JUST IN: Video footage released of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson being executed by a masked gunman.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 4, 2024
Video footage shows a man in the grey backpack pulling out a pistol with a silencer on it before opening fire.
The man was seen firing multiple shots at Thompson who… pic.twitter.com/xLatwSwnAJ
Police did not release the victim’s name, but said a 50-year-old was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside a Hilton before the shooter fled.
He was taken to a nearby hospital but could not be saved.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of the healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. The company was scheduled to have its annual meeting with investors Wednesday morning in New York City, according to a company media advisory. The hotel is a short walk from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center.
An announcement was made to attendees Wednesday morning that the conference was being ended early.
Thompson has served as CEO for more than three years and has been with the company since 2004.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the country and also manages health insurance coverage for employers and federally funded Medicaid programs.
Paulette Thompson, 51, identified by NBC News as Brian Thompson’s wife, told the news outlet that officers from the New York Police Department had informed her that the attack on her husband was planned.
“Yes, there had been some threats, basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” she told NBC News. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
She said that the threats did not cause her husband to alter his travel plans. “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” she told NBC News. “I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.” The couple had lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove with their two sons.
Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of the people his decisions affected.
Then Wednesday’s fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a targeted killing on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight.
Thompson, who was 50, ran the insurance arm of the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. since 2021 and had worked at the company for 20 years. He previously led its Medicare and retirement businesses.
As CEO, Thompson led a business that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health insurance coverage for thousands of employers and federally funded Medicaid programs.
The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus, and stock options awards, made him one of the company’s highest-paid executives.
The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and had little name recognition beyond the industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company’s face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress.
Thompson’s few moments of public attention stood in contrast to his role in reshaping the way Americans get health care.
At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company’s shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy, rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick.
“Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the … family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.”
Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms.
“Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.”
United Healthcare responded by delaying the rollout of the change.
Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor meeting when he was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a masked assailant who fled on foot, the New York Police Department said.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson’s social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. He said Thompson walked out of the hotel alone.
“Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. “He did not have a security detail.”
Paulette Thompson, 51, identified by NBC News as Brian Thompson’s wife, told the news outlet that officers from the New York Police Department had informed her that the attack on her husband was planned.
“Yes, there had been some threats, basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” she told NBC News. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
She said that the threats did not cause her husband to alter his travel plans. “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” she told NBC News. “I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.” The couple had lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove with their two sons.
Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of the people his decisions affected.
Then Wednesday’s fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a targeted killing on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight.
Thompson, who was 50, ran the insurance arm of the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc. since 2021 and had worked at the company for 20 years. He previously led its Medicare and retirement businesses.
As CEO, Thompson led a business that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health insurance coverage for thousands of employers and federally funded Medicaid programs.
The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus, and stock options awards, made him one of the company’s highest-paid executives.
The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers and had little name recognition beyond the industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company’s face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress.
Thompson’s few moments of public attention stood in contrast to his role in reshaping the way Americans get health care.
At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company’s shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy, rather than focusing on treating them when they get sick.
“Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the … family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.”
Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms.
“Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.”
United Healthcare responded by delaying the rollout of the change.
Thompson was scheduled to speak at an investor meeting when he was shot around 6:45 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown by a masked assailant who fled on foot, the New York Police Department said.
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson’s social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. He said Thompson walked out of the hotel alone.
“Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. “He did not have a security detail.”