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Mr. Thompson was on his way to an investors’ gathering when he was killed by a masked shooter who fled on an electric Citi Bike, the police said.
- Dec. 4, 2024, 6:45 p.m. ET
The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest U.S. health insurers, was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel Wednesday morning in what the police called a brazen, assassination-style slaying.
The killing set off a frantic manhunt for the masked assailant, who shot the executive, Brian Thompson, from behind as Mr. Thompson arrived at the New York Hilton Midtown on West 54th Street for an investors’ gathering.
After firing at least three shots at Mr. Thompson, 50, and hitting him in the calf and back, the shooter ran through a nearby passageway to West 55th Street, where he jumped on an electric Citi Bike and rode off into Central Park, the police said.
Here’s what we know about the shooting:
Who was Brian Thompson?
Mr. Thompson became UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive in April 2021. The company, which is based in Minneapolis, is a unit of UnitedHealth Group, whose market valuation of $560 billion makes it one of the country’s largest publicly traded companies.
Mr. Thompson spent more than 20 years rising through the ranks at UnitedHealthcare, which offers insurance to companies and individuals, employs about 140,000 people and had $281 billion in revenue in 2023.
He received total compensation of $10.2 million last year, with $1 million in base pay augmented by substantial cash and stock grants. The company’s profits rose on his watch, jumping to more than $16 billion last year from $12 billion in 2021.
