Brian Thompson, a longtime UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive, was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan early Wednesday morning in what authorities described as a targeted attack, igniting a manhunt across the city for the gunman.
Thompson, 50, was shot in the back around 6:45 a.m. outside of the New York Hilton Midtown, where the largest U.S. insurer was hosting its investor day.
Early reports suggest the alleged attacker was waiting for Thompson upon his arrival at the hotel for the investor day. The attacker approached the executive from behind and shot him multiple times before his gun malfunctioned. The shooter fled into an alleyway before hopping onto an electric Citi Bike and riding toward Central Park. A cellphone was recovered in the alleyway, the New York Police Department said.
The suspect remained at large on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities were attempting to use the GPS tracking technology in Citi Bike to follow the bike they believe the suspect used in a manhunt that the NYPD said involved drones, canines and an extensive police deployment in Manhattan.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams sought to assuage people’s nerves, saying the initial police probe revealed “this was not a random act of violence.”
“We want to just really calm New Yorkers, and particularly the business executives,” he said. “This seemed to have been clearly targeted by an individual, and we will apprehend that individual.”
During a press conference Wednesday morning, police said there hadn’t yet been any arrests. Police recovered three live 9-millimeter rounds at the scene and said the attacker’s motive was unknown. He was last seen in Central Park, police said.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny responded to questions about the shooter, including whether he used a silencer, which the police couldn’t confirm. “It does seem he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly.”
The police said they were also digging into Thompson’s history, including searching his hotel room. “We’re looking at everything. We’re looking at his social media, we’re interviewing employees, we’re interviewing family members, we will be speaking to law enforcement in Minnesota,” Kenny said.
In a phone call with NBC News, his wife said Thompson had been receiving threats.
“Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage?” Paulette Thompson said. “I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
Police in Maple Grove, Minnesota, Thompson’s hometown, said there were no police reports on the Thompson residence other than one reported “suspicious activity incident” in 2018 that was cleared with no criminal activity detected.
Thompson arrived in New York on Monday and didn’t travel with a security detail, according to the NYPD.
