OAN Staff James Meyers
8:03 AM – Wednesday, December 4, 2024
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was gunned down Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan in what police say was a targeted attack.
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Brian Thompson was at the hotel around 6:46 a.m., for a conference, when a masked man reportedly waiting for him shot him repeatedly and took off eastbound, according to the New York Post.
Police said that Thompson was shot in the chest and was rushed to the Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Andrew Witty, CEO of parent company UnitedHealth Group, said the firm had been having its Investor Day conference at the hotel on Wednesday, which Thompson was there to attend.
The conference was called off immediately due to “a very serious medical situation” with one of its team members, Witty said in a statement.
Meanwhile, officials said no arrests have been made yet and that the investigation is still ongoing.
Officials described the suspect as a white male wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, and black and white sneakers. They also said he was carrying a gray backpack.
Multiple sources said the shooter wasn’t a guest at the hotel but it is still unclear if he had other business there.
When the suspect spotted Thompson, he began to fire from a distance, striking him multiple times, according to police sources.
Additionally, the masked man then fled through the Ziegfeld alleyway and hopped on a bike to escape.
Thompson worked at UnitedHealth for the last 20 years and took the position of CEO in 2021 and was based at its offices in Minnetonka, Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn account.
Before joining UnitedHealth, Thompson spent six years in Minneapolis at PwC, an auditing and accounting firm.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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