UnitedHealthcare CEO Shot to Death at Company's Investor Day Conference Hotel

Police at the scene of the shooting outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown.Thompson was hit in the torso

Etienne Note: I am assuming that someone wasn't happy with their coverage...

By Joe Marino, Amanda Woods, Ronny Reyes and Matt Troutman

Police at the scene of the shooting outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown.
Thompson was hit in the torso, prompting a desperate attempt by first responders to save him with CPR, harrowing video shows.

He was rushed in critical condition to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m., police said.

The mysterious gunman – who appeared to be skilled with a firearm, police said – ran off before hopping on an electric Citi Bike and disappearing into Central Park, said NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.

A manhunt was underway for the suspect as the NYPD and CrimeStoppers offered a $10,000 reward for information.

The motive behind the heinous hit remained unknown, Kenny said.

The gunman walked up to the hotel – where the UnitedHealth Group was holding its investors’ conference – about five minutes before the shooting, Kenny said.

Witnesses told The Post the suspect had been spotted near the hotel, on Sixth Avenue, milling around.

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Brian Thompson, 50, was at the hotel around 6:46 a.m.UnitedHealth Group

When Thompson – who had been staying at the nearby Marriott, according to sources – walked up to the hotel, the masked suspect struck, Kenny said.

“The shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind the car, he ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind and shoots him in the back,” Kenny said. “The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot.”

A surveillance photo obtained by The Post shows the moment the hooded shooter aimed the gun.

The shooter’s weapon appeared to have malfunctioned at that point, but he managed to quickly clear the gun and begin to fire again – a sign the suspect is proficient with firearms, Kenny said.

Thompson was struck by bullets at least once each in his back and right calf, Tisch said.

The suspect was described as a white male wearing a dark jacket, black face mask, and black and white sneakers. Officials said he was carrying a distinctive gray backpack.

Kenny said the shooter first ran off through the Ziegfeld alleyway between 54th and 55th streets, then hopped onto an electric Citi Bike – a ride captured in another surveillance photo.

The gunman peddled up the Avenue of the Americas toward Central Park, and was last seen around 6:48 a.m. biking onto Center Drive, Kenny said.

Cops recovered three live 9-millimeter rounds and three discharged shell casings at the scene, the chief said.

“The motive for this murder currently is unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted,” Kenny said. “But at this point, we do not know why.”

Thompson leaves behind his wife Paulette ‘Pauley’ Thompson, 51, and two children in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The family had received threats, Paulette Thompson told NBC News.

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The suspect was last seen entering Central Park, according to officials.

“There had been some threats,” she said, according to NBC. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”

The shooting sent shockwaves through the investors’ conference, where Forbes reported emotional attendees began to cry.

The slain CEO was “a stand up guy, a good dude,” said one investor who had previously dined with Thompson, according to Forbes. “I’ve never met anyone who had anything bad to say about him.”

Andrew Witty, CEO of parent company UnitedHealth Group, said the firm had been holding its Investor Day conference at the hotel on Wednesday, which Thompson was attending.

The conference was abruptly called off due to “a very serious medical situation” with one of its team members, Witty said in a statement.

Thompson, who had worked with UnitedHealth for the last 20 years, took the role of CEO in 2021 and was based at its offices in Minnetonka, Minnesota, according to his LinkedIn account.

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A spilled container at the scene of the shootingMatthew McDermott

When promoting Thompson, Witty praised his commitment to the company, which serves as the largest private health insurer in the US.

“Brian’s experience, relationships and values make him especially well-suited to help UnitedHealthcare improve how healthcare works for consumers, physicians, employers, governments and our other partners, leading to continued and sustained long-term growth,” Witty said at the time.

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