Pictures of the alleged shooter have been shared by New York Police.
Pictures of the alleged shooter have been shared by New York Police.
A manhunt is under way after the head of America’s biggest health insurer was shot dead outside an investor meeting in New York.
UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, 50, was shot outside the Hilton Hotel, where the company’s investor conference was being held.
Police said Thompson had been rushed to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The gunman fled on a CityBike electric bicycle into Central Park, which is five blocks away from the scene of the shooting, police confirmed. He is still at large.
United Healthcare is the health insurance subsidiary of United Health Group, one of America’s biggest healthcare companies.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooting appeared to be a “brazen targeted attack” and “does not appear to be a random act of violence”.
“It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes, and as the victim was walking to the conference hotel, the suspect approached from behind and fired several rounds, striking the victim at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf,” Tisch told a press conference.
These are images of the individual sought in connection to this investigation. If anyone has information as to the identity or location of this individual please contact @NYPDTips at 1(800)577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/sm2GuEOYk1
Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny described the killer as a light-skinned male wearing a cream-coloured jacket, a black face mask and a distinctive grey backpack.
He fled into Central Park on an e-bike and was last seen in the park’s central drive, he added. There is a GPS tracker on the bike which the police are working to extract data from.
A reward of $10,000 has been offered for information on the killer.
There was a witness standing next to Thompson when he was shot and NYPD are working to contact that person, they said.
Thompson was shot at around 6.45am. Kenny said they have “no way of knowing” whether the gunman was a professional, but from the CCTV footage it “does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms”.
He said when the gun appeared to malfunction he was “able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly”.
Officers recovered three live 9mm rounds from the scene and three 9mm shell casings.
Police at the scene where the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot as he entered the New York Hilton. Photo / AFP
Kenny said the motive for the murder is “currently unknown”.
He added: “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.”
He said the shooter was wearing “a light brown or cream coloured jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and a very distinctive grey backpack”. A mobile phone was recovered from the alleyway where the shooter fled after the attack.
“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,” chief executive Andrew Witty said.
The gunman lay in wait for around 10 minutes before Thompson arrived. He then shot at him several times from around 20 feet away, CNN reported.
Brian Thompson, 50, CEO of America's biggest health insurer, was shot and killed in New York.
Minnesota-based Thompson’s wife Paulette Thompson told the NBC News outlet that he had received unspecified threats.
“There had been some threats basically I don’t know - (over) a lack of coverage? I don’t know details,” said Paulette Thompson who had two children with her late husband.
Eric Adams, the New York Mayor, said the shooting appeared to be targeted.
“We want to be clear to New Yorkers that this does not appear to be a random act of violence,” he told reporters.
“We are deeply saddened by this morning’s events in the area and our thoughts are with all affected by the tragedy,” a New York Hilton Midtown general manager told CNN.
The NYPD said police responded to a 911 call of a male shot in front of 1335 Avenues of the Americas.
“Upon arrival, officers observed a 50-year-old male unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the chest,” a spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph.
He was transported to Mt Sinai Hospital in “critical condition”, where he was later pronounced dead.
There have been no arrests and the investigation is active, he added.
UnitedHealth is worth $556 billion and generated more than $370b in revenues last year. UnitedHealthcare accounted for 75% of the group’s revenues, the newspaper reported.
