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By Martha McHardy
US News Reporter
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A manhunt continues for the suspect after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot in New York in what police are calling a "premeditated, preplanned targeted attack."
Thompson, 50, was on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group's investor conference at the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning when he was shot and killed.
He was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.
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A manhunt is now underway after the suspect fled the scene, with police offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest. No information on a motive for the killing has been released, but police said they believe the shooting was "targeted."
"The motive for this murder is currently unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was specifically targeted," Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. "But at this point, we do not know why."
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Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, according to his biography page. He joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004. He previously was CEO of UnitedHealthcare government programs, including Medicare & Retirement and Community & State. He was also the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement.
The 50-year-old is survived by his wife and two sons.
This timeline, below, plots how the shooting unfolded...
6:17 a.m.
The suspect is seen at a Starbucks on Sixth Avenue, near the Hilton Hotel. The NYPD released images of the suspect at the Starbucks wearing a hooded jacket with his face mostly covered. He was carrying a backpack.
6:39 a.m.
The suspect arrives at the scene of the shooting outside the Hilton Hotel. Tisch said the gunman was "lying in wait" for several minutes before Thompson arrived at the scene. "Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," Tisch said.
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6:44 a.m.
Thompson is steps from the Hilton's entrance for annual investor day in Midtown Manhattan. Police said this is when an assassin wearing a dark hoodie and gray backpack stepped from behind a parked car in the predawn darkness, before pursuing Thompson for a few steps and shooting him with a 9-millimeter pistol. Police said the suspect fired "several rounds," striking Thompson at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf.
According to CCTV footage, the gun appeared to jam after every shot, with the shooter reloading the weapon. The footage also shows that the suspect continued to shoot at Thompson as he fell to the ground. Kenny, the chief of detectives for the NYPD, declined to say when asked whether he believed the killer was a professional. But he noted the apparent ease with which he cleared a jam while firing the pistol. "It does seem he's proficient in the use of firearms," Kenny said.
Meanwhile, James Stejskal, a former Army Special Forces soldier and military historian who reviewed a video of the shooting, told the Wall Street Journal that the gun appeared to be fitted with a silencer and that the shooter appeared well trained in using the weapon.
The suspect fled the scene shortly after the shooting, heading "northbound into an alleyway between 54th Street and 55th Street," and walked west on Avenue of the Americas, and eventually got onto an electric bike and rode toward Central Park. Kenny said the bike had a GPS system and police are working on gathering more details from the company.
6:46 a.m.
Officers respond to a 911 call of a person shot in front of the Hilton hotel located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, according to Kenny.
6:48 a.m.
Officers arrive at the scene and find Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the hotel with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. He was taken to the hospital by EMS.
7:12 a.m.
Thompson is pronounced dead at Mount Sinai West hospital.
8:23 a.m.
Maple Grove police arrive at the home of Thompson's wife, Paulette Thompson, to notify her of the death. Thompson and Paulette had been living in separate homes less than a mile apart in suburban Maple Grove for several years, according to the Wall Street Journal.
She told NBC News on Wednesday her husband had been receiving threats. "There had been some threats," she said. "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 police departments in Maple Grove, where Thompson lived, and in Minnetonka, where UnitedHealth is based, both said they had received no complaints about threats to Thompson, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Thompson was among three United executives named in a May lawsuit filed by a Florida pension fund, alleging the company concealed a Justice Department antitrust investigation from shareholders while insiders sold stock, including $15 million worth of shares held by Thompson personally. He had not responded to the allegations in court prior to his death.
9 a.m.
Andrew Witty, chief executive of UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare's parent company, interrupts the proceedings at the investor conference to announce that the event was being canceled due to "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 added. "I'm sure you'll understand."
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