Police are still searching for the gunman who killed the head of a major American health insurance company in New York on Wednesday in what the city’s top officer described as a “brazen targeted attack.”
Brian Thompson, head of UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead as he walked into the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan just before 6:45 a.m. ET. Police said the attacker had been waiting for Thompson, who was heading to the hotel for the company’s annual investors conference.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“At this time, every indication is this was a premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack.”
The police department’s chief of detectives, Joseph Kenny, said the shooter got to the hotel about five minutes before Thompson, who had been staying in another hotel across the street. Standing along the building’s edge, the gunman let several people pass by unharmed before opening fire on the businessman.
WATCH | Video shows gunman waiting for Thompson:
Security footage obtained by CBC News showed the gun malfunctioned, but the shooter cleared the jam. The gunman also ignored a witness in the video, who escaped from just a metre or two away.
“Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted, but at this point, we do not know why,” Kenny said.
The assailant escaped on foot before switching to an electric bike, and was last seen on video riding into Central Park at 6:48 a.m., the officer said.
Police initially said the shooter rode into the park on a bicycle from CitiBike, the bike-share program. But a spokesperson for the program’s operator, Lyft, said police officials informed the company Wednesday afternoon that the bike was not from the CitiBike fleet.
Thompson, 50, was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital at 7:12 a.m.
Kenny said the executive did not appear to have a security detail and did not seem to realize he was in danger. The footage of the shooting does not have sound, he said, so officers didn’t yet know whether the shooter said anything to him.
Victim called a ‘highly respected colleague’
UnitedHealth is the largest U.S. health insurer, providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for health care than those in any other country.
The company has been grappling with the fallout from a massive data hack of its Change Healthcare unit that provides technology for U.S. health providers, disrupting medical care for patients and reimbursement to doctors for months.
WATCH | Police commissioner’s full remarks:
UnitedHealth Group chief executive Andrew Witty took the stage about one hour after the conference started Wednesday and announced the rest of the program would be cancelled.
“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,” he said.
Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, had been in the city since Monday. He had served as CEO for more than three years and started with the company in 2004.
“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,” read a social media post from UnitedHealth Group.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
Police said they are still working to determine a motive.
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that her husband told her “there were some people that had been threatening him.” She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Eric Werner, the police chief in the Minneapolis suburb where Thompson lived, said his department had not received any reports of threats against the executive.
The Hilton is in a bustling part of Manhattan, a short walk from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Center. It’s often dense with tourists and office workers on weekday mornings.
Police said the shooting would not affect the annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center — a few blocks from the Hilton — which went ahead as scheduled Wednesday evening amid a stepped-up police presence.
Part of the block where the shooting took place was cordoned off with police tape, with a large contingent of police officers at the scene.
Police officers gather outside the Hilton hotel after the shooting. Thompson, 50, was shot on his way into the hotel before the company’s annual investors meeting. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state is “sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”
“This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health-care community in Minnesota,” Walz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S. and manages health insurance coverage for employers, as well as Medicaid programs funded by the state and federal governments.