(Reuters) -Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance unit, was fatally shot in the chest on Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan, the NY Post and Bloomberg reported, citing police sources.
UnitedHealth did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company canceled the remainder of an investor event in Manhattan that had just kicked off.
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty said.
The NYPD deputy commissioner’s office said a man was shot in front of the Hilton, located at 1335 6th Avenue in the Midtown North Precinct. He was brought to Mount Sinai West Hospital less than a mile away in critical condition, and was later pronounced dead, the NYPD said.
Investigators told CNN that the gunman was waiting in the area for some time before Thompson’s arrival. Reuters has not independently verified that information.
There are no arrests at this time, and the investigation is active and ongoing. The identification of the victim is pending proper family notification, the department said.
Brian Thompson was named UnitedHealthcare CEO in April 2021, and started at the company in 2004, working in several departments, according to the company’s web site.
UnitedHealthcare is a unit of UnitedHealth Group.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru and Amina Niasse in New York; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Anil D’Silva and Nick Zieminski)
