UnitedHealth Group Mourns Slain CEO Brian Thompson After Morning N.Y.C. Shooting: 'Deeply Saddened'

UnitedHealth Group is mourning the loss of their “dear friend and colleague” Brian Thompson after the UnitedHealthcare CEO was shot and killed in an apparent targeted attack in New York City on the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 4.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” the company said in a statement issued Wednesday. “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,” the statement added. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

Thompson, 50, was shot by a masked gunman just before 6:45 a.m. outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan early Wednesday morning, as he was entering the hotel for an investors’ conference, NYPD officials said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

The gunman was “lying in wait for several minutes” outside the hotel waiting for the arrival of Thompson, who was staying at a hotel across the street, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

The gunman fired at least three shots at Thompson at about 6:45 a.m. before fleeing northbound on Sixth Avenue and getting on an electric Citi Bike and fleeing towards Central Park, police said. Thompson was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later.

The suspect is described as a male with light skin, wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a “very distinctive grey backpack,” said Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Tisch noted during the press conference that the CEO was killed in what appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack,” adding, it “does not appear to be a random act of violence.”

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Thompson’s wife, Pauley Thompson, said that her late husband had been receiving threats prior to his killing, according to NBC News.

“Yes, there had been some threats basically I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” she said. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

Local Channel2 Now reports that in addition to his wife Pauley, 51, Thompson is survived by their two children. The family lives in Maple Grove, Minn., according to the station.

According to a bio on UnitedHealthcare’s company’s website, Thompson was named CEO in April 2021. Prior to that, he was CEO of the company’s government programs, including its medicare program. He joined the company in 2004, according to his bio.