Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealth, was fatally shot in Manhattan, New York.
According to New York media, the attack took place a quarter of an hour before. 7 a.m. local time, in a busy spot on 6th Avenue in Midtown. The executive, dressed in a suit and tie, was heading to the New York Hilton Hotel. There, in the ballroom, the annual conference of investors of the company he managed, a well-known company providing insurance and health care services, was to be held.
According to investigators reported by CNN, the armed attacker waited for Thompson for about ten minutes. He opened fire on him from a distance of about six meters, firing several shots, then ran across the street, jumped on a bicycle and fled – as police suspect – towards Central Park, five blocks away. According to the media, the suspect is a white man. He was allegedly wearing a cream jacket, a black face mask, black and white shoes and a gray backpack.
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Gunshots in Manhattan. UnitedHealth CEO dies
The 50-year-old was shot in the chest. Paramedics arrived at the scene and took him in critical condition to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, we read.
While details of the circumstances are still unclear, investigators say it appears to be a deliberate shooting. The pursuit of the perpetrator who was supposed to be located by the officers is ongoing – the NYPD announced late in the afternoon Polish time.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthPAP/EPA/UNITEDHEALTHCARE
Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. The company's scheduled conference was canceled on Wednesday morning, citing “a very serious medical situation of one of our team members.” As CNN writes, the company has not yet commented on the matter.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/JUSTIN LANE