50-year-old CEO Brian Thompson was shot shortly after 6:45 a.m., simply steps away from New York's Hilton Midtown, the place his firm was celebrating its anniversary Annual Investor Day.
The managing director of UnitedHealthcareone of many largest pay as you go corporations in the US, was the sufferer of a taking pictures on Wednesday morning, police reported daring homicide outdoors a lodge in midtown Manhattan, sparking a citywide police chase for the killer.
CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was shot shortly after 6:45 a.m. on West 54th Avenue, simply steps from New York's Hilton Midtown, the place his firm was holding its annual investor day.
The encompassing streets embellished with Christmas motifs are a extremely popular vacation spot for vacationers and customers.
This surveillance video picture obtained by the Related Press exhibits the suspect needed within the homicide of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outdoors a Manhattan lodge the place the well being insurer was holding an investor convention on Wednesday, Dec. four, 2024. (AP photograph)New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who took workplace simply 10 days in the past, referred to as the homicide “selective reckless assaultand mentioned:
“We won’t relaxation till we establish and arrest the attacker on this case.”
In keeping with pictures launched by police, the killer was carrying a darkish hooded jacket and a grey backpack, and his face was lined as much as his nostril.
He apparently knew which door Thompson would enter via and arrived on the lodge about 5 minutes early, ignoring anybody passing by as he waited for his vacation spot.
Surveillance video exhibits Thompson carrying a blue swimsuit strolling towards the lodge entrance within the predawn darkness.
The gunman, seen from behind, approaches him and shoots him not less than 3 times, hitting Thompson within the calf and again with what seems to be a gun silencer.
The sufferer manages to take a number of steps and switch towards his attacker earlier than collapsing on the sidewalk.
The gunman's weapon jammed throughout the assault, however the killer rapidly cleared the blockage and continued firing, police mentioned.
A lady who was close by fled the scene.
The assassin holds his gun in his hand and slowly walks in the direction of Thompson, who’s standing towards the wall.
He seems to take purpose at Thompson one final time and walks away.
He solely begins operating when he crosses the road.
After the taking pictures, the gunman crossed a crosswalk towards West 55th Avenue, hopped on a Citi Bike electrical bicycle and rode north towards Central Park, police mentioned.
The crime scene and methodology of homicide led investigators to a number of attainable investigations.
The lodge is without doubt one of the metropolis's largest, close to the Museum of Trendy Artwork and Rockefeller Heart, and there are quite a few non-public and municipal surveillance cameras within the surrounding blocks that might present the place the killer got here from and the place he fled like pictures of his facial.
Investigators additionally adopted up on leads Citi bike.
Citi Bike customers should use a debit or bank card to hire a motorcycle. Departure and arrival factors and occasions are recorded.
Investigators searched Citi Bike information for close by bike use on the time of the assault.
Officers additionally recovered a cellphone and investigators carried out a forensic evaluation to find out whether or not it was associated to the taking pictures, police mentioned.
The sufferer
Police additionally investigated Thompson's background for clues.
In keeping with a police official accustomed to the investigation, Thompson had just lately acquired varied threatshowever its origin and actual nature have been unclear.
CEOs of healthcare corporations are sometimes threatened due to the character of their work.
In April 2021, Thompson was promoted to CEO of Minnesota-based UnitedHealthcare to steer one of many enterprise models of the conglomerate UnitedHealth Group.
He acquired a complete compensation package deal of final yr $10.2 milliona mix of a base wage of $1 million and money and inventory advantages.
In a press release, UnitedHealth Group mentioned, “We’re deeply saddened and shocked” by Thompson's loss of life.
“Our ideas are with Brian’s household and everybody who was near him,” the assertion mentioned.
Thompson led a division that provided insurance coverage to companies and people.
Underneath his tenure, UnitedHealthcare and its dad or mum firm loved nice reputation worthwhile developmenthowever they have been additionally the topic of Analysis concerning the denial of authorizations for medical procedures.
The taking pictures occurred as Thompson arrived early to organize for investor day, police mentioned.
Such occasions are widespread amongst publicly traded corporations as a result of they offer analysts who monitor the corporate and main buyers an opportunity to take heed to and ask questions of executives.
Michael Ha, a Baird fairness analyst who attended the assembly, arrived shortly after eight a.m. Andrew Witty, CEO of United Healthcare Group, delivered ready remarks shortly afterward.
Then individuals' telephones acquired notifications that one thing had occurred.
At first there was confusion.
Many puzzled if Witty had been shot since he had simply left the room and feared the attacker was someplace within the lodge.
Witty returned to the stage to interrupt the information to the viewers.
Impact
Exterior, the taking pictures introduced a contact of grim actuality to the Christmas celebrations within the surrounding blocks.
Vacationers and native residents anticipate the Christmas tree to be lit Rockefeller Heart They woke as much as police cordoning off the crime scene a number of blocks north.
Police assured these eager to attend the lighting occasion that there can be a big safety presence.
The homicide shocked the business by which Thompson performed a number one position.
UnitedHealth Group, the dad or mum firm of publicly traded UnitedHealth Care, has a market valuation of 560 billion comparable measurement to Visa or Exxon Mobil.
Thompson spent greater than 20 years rising via his insurance coverage division, one of many largest within the nation, with $372 billion in income final yr and about 140,000 staff.
There was no signal of his rise slowing.
Underneath his management, UnitedHealth Care's earnings elevated, with working earnings exceeding $16 billion in 2023, up from $12 billion in 2021.
In keeping with regulatory filings, Thompson owned shares in UnitedHealth Group price about $20 million on the finish of September.
In April, Bloomberg Information reported that he was considered one of three firm executives who offered shares earlier than a federal antitrust investigation was made recognized to buyers; in Thompson's case, it was about $15 million price of inventory.
The corporate then instructed Bloomberg that the gross sales had been permitted.
Earlier than becoming a member of United, Thompson spent virtually seven years at United PricewaterhouseCoopers, also referred to as PwC, the massive accounting agency.
He graduated from the College of Iowa with a level in accounting in 1997.
Thompson lived along with his household in a suburb of Minneapolis.
He’s survived by his spouse, Paulette R. Thompson, a bodily therapist who works for a well being system in Minnesota, and two youngsters.
“Brian was an exquisite particular person with a giant coronary heart who lived life to the fullest,” Paulette Thompson mentioned in a press release.
“Everybody will miss him very a lot. We’re heartbroken and utterly devastated by this information. He touched many lives. “We ask everybody to respect our privateness throughout this time.”
On the close by UnitedHealthcare headquarters, a posh of brown buildings greater than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from the crime scene, a single police cruiser was stationed on the entrance.
Christopher Maag, Ernesto Londoño Reed Abelson, Claire Fahy, Stefanos Chen and Ana Ley contributed reporting. Kitty Bennett contributed to the investigation.
Michael Wilson covers New York Metropolis and has been a Instances reporter for greater than 20 years.
Chelsia Rose Marcius is a legal justice reporter for The Instances, overlaying the NYPD.
circa 2024 The New York Instances Firm