UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in New York City, news reports say
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest insurance providers in the nation, was shot to death Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan, multiple news outlets reported, citing police sources.
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the chest just before 7 a.m. near a hotel on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, the New York Post, The Associated Press, Bloomberg and WPIX reported.
The New York Police Department believes the shooting was a targeted attack, the New York Post reported.
UnitedHealthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of the health care giant UnitedHealth Group Inc, was scheduled to have its annual meeting with investors and market analysts Wednesday at the hotel, according to a company advisory. The company ended the gathering early as news of the shooting broke.
"We're dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and, as a result, I'm afraid we're going to have to bring to a close the event today," UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said.
The hotel is a short walk from tourist sites including the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center.
UnitedHealth Group is among the nation's largest health care companies and provides health insurance, pharmacy benefits and health care services. Its health insurance unit, UnitedHealthcare, provided coverage for more than 27 million U.S. residents as of Dec. 31, 2023. The company covers another 7.8 million people globally with medical and dental benefits, mostly in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
Thompson has been CEO for more than three years and had 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 state-and federally funded Medicaid programs.
A New York police spokesperson said a 50-year-old man was shot in front of the Hilton in Midtown at about 6:46 a.m. and that the man was unconscious and unresponsive with gunshot wounds to the chest and a leg when the police arrived.
A New York police officer walks outside the hotel in Midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealtchare, was reported to have been killed Wednesday morning.
A New York police officer walks outside the hotel in Midtown Manhattan where Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealtchare, was reported to have been killed Wednesday morning.
Medical responders rushed the man to Mount Sinai West, where he was pronounced dead.
No one has been taken into custody in connection with the shooting, according to the NYPD.
UnitedHealth Group is among the nation's largest health insurance companies, providing coverage for more than 27 million U.S. residents as of last Dec. 31. The company covers another 7.8 million people globally with medical and dental benefits, mostly in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
Contributing: AP
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