NEW YORK — A furious manhunt was underway in Manhattan after the head of one of the nation’s largest health insurers was gunned down Wednesday morning in what police called a “brazen targeted attack.” A gunman lay in wait for the executive outside a hotel in midtown, the heart of the city’s business and tourist districts, and opened fire before fleeing into Central Park, according to investigators.
Surveillance video obtained by The New York Times shows the gunman walking up behind the executive, Brian Thompson, 50, as he approaches one of the entrances to the New York Hilton Midtown around 6:45 a.m. The gunman fires on Thompson, who stumbles and manages to turn toward his assailant. The video also shows what investigators said was the pistol jamming during the shooting and the assailant quickly clearing the jam and resuming fire. Thompson collapses on the sidewalk before the shooter flees.
The city’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said the attacker had waited for Thompson, ignoring other passersby, and then shot him in the back and leg. Three shell casings were recovered from the scene, on 54th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. A cellphone recovered from an area where the assailant fled was being analyzed to see if it was linked to the shooting, police said.
Investigators were still searching for the shooter, who they said was last spotted in the sprawling park in central Manhattan. A surveillance image released by police showed the moment a person in a black hooded garment and wearing a backpack opened fire on Thompson, and another showed a person riding what investigators said was an electric Citi Bike.
A law enforcement officer familiar with the investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the assailant was inside a nearby Starbucks before the shooting. Surveillance images from the coffee shop released by police in the afternoon appeared to show a white man in a dark, hooded coat with a dark mask covering his mouth and nose.
The officer said that Thompson had recently received several threats and that police were investigating their source and exact nature, but noted that health care executives can often receive threats because of their work.
The shooting happened on the morning of the company’s annual investor conference in New York City. Thompson had arrived early to prepare for the conference, police said.
The company’s investor presentations were underway as news of the shooting began to spread. Ryan Langston, an analyst in the audience, said attendees started getting notifications on their phones. Then Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, told them the news.
Langston said the room “quickly turned very somber, very quiet.” He added, “People, including myself, were calling their families. I let them know I was OK.”
Thompson was promoted to CEO of Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, heading one unit of the larger UnitedHealth Group. In a statement, UnitedHealth Group said the company was “deeply saddened and shocked” by Thompson’s death. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him,” the company said.
Thompson’s sister-in-law, Elena Reveiz, said she was still processing the news of his death. “He was a good person, and I am so sad,” Reveiz said when reached by phone. She said Thompson had two children, and she was on her way to be with his family.
Thompson managed a division that employs about 140,000 people and offers insurance plans to employers and individuals, including people enrolled in government programs. UnitedHealthcare and its parent company have enjoyed profitable growth but also been rattled by federal investigations. Lawmakers and federal regulators have accused UnitedHealthcare of systematically denying authorization for health care procedures and treatments, and officials scrutinized its parent company after a cyberattack that compromised the private information, including health data, of more than 100 million Americans.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
