New York (CNN) — UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan Wednesday morning in a “brazen, targeted attack” as he walked toward the hotel hosting the company’s annual investor conference, New York police said.
The gunman is on the loose. But the assailant may have dropped some vital clues while fleeing, according to police officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Shortly before 7 a.m., a gunman, masked in the freezing temperatures, “was lying in wait” before opening fire on Thompson outside the Hilton Midtown, according to NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch.
“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said at a news conference Wednesday. “I want to be clear: At this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
The gunman approached Thompson from behind and shot him at least once in the back and once in the right calf, Tisch said. Responding emergency workers took Thompson to Mount Sinai West in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m.
The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were found on shell casings discovered at the scene, ABC News reported, citing police sources. CNN has reached out to the New York Police Department, who declined to comment.
A motive for the shooting is unclear, and police haven’t announced one. But a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, was aware of concerning threats against its high-level executives. The threats didn’t mention Thompson’s name, the source said. Thompson’s widow, Paulette, told NBC News “there had been some threats” against her husband.
“Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” she said. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
Paulette Thompson declined to comment to CNN on the threats she described to NBC.
“We are shattered to hear about the senseless killing of our beloved Brian,” she told CNN Wednesday. “Brian was an incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives. Most importantly, Brian was an incredibly loving father to our two sons and will be greatly missed.”
The leadership team at UnitedHealth Group is supported by an in-house security team, including at the New York conference, a source familiar with the company’s security said. Thompson’s security detail was not with him when the early morning shooting occurred.
Video shows shooting unfold
When he was shot, Thompson was walking toward the Hilton for the investor conference after leaving a hotel where he’d been staying across the street, police said.
Thompson, who was visiting from Minnesota, was shot with a weapon that appeared to be outfitted with a silencer, according to a law enforcement official and firearm experts.
Police described the shooting, which is shown in a surveillance video obtained by CNN. Officials said the assailant stepped from behind a car onto the sidewalk, ignored other people and shot the victim from behind. The shooter walked closer and continued to shoot until the gun apparently malfunctioned. The suspect cleared the jam and fired again before fleeing through an alley.
“It does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said at the news conference.
Firearms experts who have studied the video say it appears the gun malfunctioned with each shot – failing to load a new round into the firing chamber. The recording shows the gunman clearing the jam each time before firing again. The assailant reacts in the way that someone with firearms training from law enforcement or the military would be trained, the experts said.
The suspect fled on foot, then on an e-bike, police said.
Investigators told CNN that the suspect crossed the street, began to run, and may have dropped a phone and a bottle of water in the alley. Video at a nearby Starbucks shows the assailant buying a bottle of water and two energy bars minutes before the shooting, a senior police official said.
The phone could yield fingerprints, DNA and – if police technicians can unlock the phone – other clues to the suspect’s identity. Even if it is a “burner phone,” it might yield clues about communications and searches before the shooting. The water bottle may also have DNA evidence, according to investigators.
The suspect was last seen riding a bike into Central Park minutes after the shooting, police have said. Investigators have been searching the area. Police have not found the bike nor the gun used in the shooting, investigators told CNN.
Investigators are looking into whether the bike was prepositioned, because they think the suspect may have taken the subway from the Upper West Side to Midtown, according to law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
Police have video of the suspect on the Upper West Side, carrying what appears to be an electric bicycle battery, the sources said.
The shooting happened at West 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, just blocks from Rockefeller Center where the annual Christmas tree lighting event will be held Wednesday night.
NYPD Crime Stoppers has announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
The manager of a parking garage across the street from the hotel told CNN he was inside his office at the time of the shooting and did not hear gunshots.
Thompson was ‘truly extraordinary person,’ parent company CEO says
Thompson was named chief executive officer for UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. UnitedHealthcare is part of UnitedHealth Group, America’s largest insurance company and one of the country’s biggest companies, period: UnitedHealth Group is the fourth-largest company in America as ranked by revenue, according to the annual Fortune 500 list.
UnitedHealth Group abruptly ended its scheduled conference Wednesday morning, citing “a very serious medical situation with one of our team members.”
By late morning, flags were lowered to half-staff at United Healthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Later, UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty addressed the shooting in a minute-long video sent to employees. “There are no words to describe how so many of us are feeling right now,” he said in the video obtained by CNN. “Brian was a truly extraordinary person who touched the lives of countless people throughout our organization and far beyond. It’s a terrible tragedy and I know we are in shock and disbelief.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” a public statement from the company said. “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
Minnesota governor calls death a terrible loss
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed state police to provide NYPD “with any necessary assistance with the investigation to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.”
Minnesota Gov. and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz called Thompson’s death “a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.”
“This is a horrifying and shocking act of violence. My thoughts are with Brian Thompson’s family and loved ones and all those working at United Healthcare in Minnesota,” US Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said in a post on X Wednesday morning.
“I’m horrified by the assassination of my constituent, Brian Thompson, this morning in NYC and have his family in my prayers,” US Rep. Dean Phillips, of Minnesota’s 3rd District, wrote.
