BREAKING: UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Gunned Down

Brian Thompson, CEO of the Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealthcare, the health plan division of UnitedHealth Group, was gunned down in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Dec. 4, as he was about to enter the New York Hilton Midtown hotel to speak at UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor meeting. He was rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he died from his wounds.

As Chelsia Rose Marcius of The New York Times reported, “The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, was fatally shot outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, according to a police report and two people familiar with the matter. The report said that the executive, Brian Thompson, 50, was shot just after 6:45 a.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue near 54th Street. Police officers were still searching for the gunman, who fled on foot along Sixth Avenue, the report said. He was wearing a cream-colored jacket, a black face mask and a gray backpack. The police believe Mr. Thompson was targeted in the attack, which happened during the company’s annual investor conference in New York City.”

According to the sources with whom Marcius spoke, “The gunman apparently knew which door Mr. 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 pedaled away.”

Gov. Tim Walz called the killing “horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and healthcare community in Minnesota.”

In their breaking-news report, CNN’s John Miller, Amanda Musa, Rebekah Riess, David Goldman, and Brynn Gingras wrote that “A gunman, who investigators tell CNN was masked in the freezing temperatures, waited for about 10 minutes before Thompson’s arrival, before opening fire from 20 feet away shooting multiple times, striking Thompson. The gunman fled, cutting through an alleyway and hopping on to a bicycle, the official told CNN. Investigators are continuing to canvas the area. Police currently believe that the suspect fled into Central Park. “The 50-year-old executive was shot in the chest,” they wrote. “ Responding emergency workers took him to Mount Sinai West in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD”—New York Police Department.

And, they added, “Details on the circumstances are not immediately clear, but investigators say it appears to be a targeted shooting. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, the NYPD said. Police are expected to provide a briefing on the incident later this morning.”

Thompson was named UnitedHealthcare CEO in April 2021; he had previously led several departments within the health plan.

CBS News’s Megan Cerullo wrote on Wednesday morning that “Thompson, 50, was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group's insurance arm, in April 2021. He first joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and had previously served as CEO of the company's government programs, including Medicare and retiree coverage, and community and state programs providing Medicaid and other types of coverage to millions of individuals. In his most recent role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, he was responsible for leading growth across the company's global, employer, individual, specialty and government benefits businesses. That also meant committing to ensuring that Americans be able to access high-quality, affordable health care, according to a 2021 company statement announcing his appointment.” And she referenced a statement made by UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty at the time of Thompson’s elevation to UnitedHealthcare CEO that "Brian's experience, relationships and values make him especially well-suited to help UnitedHealthcare improve how health care works for consumers, physicians, employers, governments and our other partners, leading to continued and sustained long-term growth.”

Cerullo added that “Thompson held other positions over his 20 years at the company, including chief financial officer for UnitedHealthcare's Employer and Individual, Community and State and Medicare and Retirement businesses. He had also served as the financial controller for UnitedHealthcare's Employer and Individual business, and was a director in the company's corporate development division. Before joining UnitedHealth Group, Thompson worked as a certified public accountant at accounting firm PwC, according to his biography on networking site LinkedIn,” she added.

Parent company UnitedHealth Group earlier on Wednesday had posted to its website that “UnitedHealth Group will introduce its 2025 outlook, which includes revenues of $450 billion to $455 billion, net earnings of $28.15 to $28.65 per share and adjusted net earnings of $29.50 to $30.00 per share.”

This is a breaking-news report. It will be updated as new developments warrant.