NEW YORK, N.Y. – UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, Fox News has confirmed.
A manhunt is underway as the suspect remains at-large.
Sources told Fox News that Thompson was shot in the chest and leg shortly before his UnitedHealthcare annual investors meeting.
The sources said the shooting was not a random incident.
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He is survived by his wife Paulette ‘Pauley’ Thompson, 51, and their two children. They lived together in the family’s $1.5 million home in Maple Grove, Minn., according to the Daily Mail.
The New York City Police Department is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Two surveillance photos released by the department show the perpetrator in all black with a hooded sweatshirt hiding his face, pointing a gun in front of the hotel and then fleeing on a bicycle. The suspect was wearing a light-colored backpack.
The UnitedHealth Group issued a statement confirming Thompson’s death.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” the statement 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.”
A surveillance image released by the NYPD shows the suspect in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (NYPD Crimestoppers / Fox News)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the former Democratic vice presidential candidate, reacted to news of Thompson’s killing, decrying the shooting as “horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” according to the New York Times.
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New cameras captured NYPD officers attempting to revive Thompson. | Fox News
Without identifying the victim, the NYPD told Fox News Digital earlier that a 50-year-old man was shot in the chest outside the Hilton Hotel on 6th Ave. at approximately 6:46 a.m. and was transported to Mt. Sinai West hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.
News cameras captured video of NYPD officers working to revive Thompson on the sidewalk outside the Hilton before he was transported to the hospital.
Several witnesses claimed to FOX 5 New York that the suspect appeared to have been lying in wait, potentially overnight, outside the hotel, possibly targeting the victim.
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed in NYC, sources say. (Fox News Digital/ UnitedHealthcare / Fox News)
A police press conference is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.
The New York Post first identified Thompson as the shooting victim.
Thompson’s sister, Elena Reveiz, told The Times via a phone interview that she was still processing hearing that her brother had been killed.
A police officer stands guard in front of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, N.Y., where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot, Wednesday, December 4, 2024. | Fox News
“He was a good person, and I am so sad,” Reveiz reportedly said, adding that Thompson was a loving father to his two children.
According to ABC News, police say the shooter was wearing a ski mask and fled down an alleyway near West 55th St.
Scene near the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, NY where a man was shot to death, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. | Fox News
The suspect is described as a skinny man, standing at about 6-foot-1 and wearing all black.
This 2017 file photo of Brian Thompson was released via Businesswire when he was named Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare Unit in 2017. (Businesswire / Fox News)
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UnitedHealth Group – the parent company to UnitedHealthcare – is the largest health insurance company by market share, according to the American Medical Association.
