UnitedHealthcare’s CEO shot and killed en route to company’s investors’ conference

December 4, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN — THE CEO OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE, the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group, was shot and killed Wednesday morning in Midtown Manhattan while visiting the city for a corporate investors’ conference. Brian Thompson, 50, of Minnesota, was shot directly in the chest around 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 4, in what police believe was a targeted attack, the NYPD and several news sources report. Thompson was scheduled to participate in the UnitedHealth annual investors’ conference, the New York Times reported.

Law enforcement believes that the gunman had staked out Mr. Thompson’s itinerary and hid waiting for him just outside the hotel before shooting. Although a press release on UnitedHealthcare’s website indicated that the conference was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Dec. 4, it did not disclose the location. The gunman was seen wearing a cream-colored jacket, a black face mask and a gray backpack. The NYPD released a report on the homicide about three hours after the shooting, after proper family notification had been completed.

Thompson, who joined UnitedHealthcare in 2004, was in 2021 named chief executive officer of the insurance giant, whose subscriber base includes New York. Because of the homicide, the conference was ended prematurely, reported the Associated Press. Its agenda had included a discussion of “the company’s long-term strategic growth priorities,” according to the UHC press release.

✰✰✰