UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson Was Killed in 'Brazen, Targeted' Attack by Masked Gunman 'Lying in Wait': Police

Mar. 15, 2025

The gunman was “lying in wait for several minutes” outside the Hilton waiting for the arrival of Thompson, who was staying at a hotel across the street, said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Just before 6:45 a.m., the gunman fired at least three bullets at Thompson, hitting him from behind in the back and leg, before fleeing northbound on Sixth Avenue and getting on an electric Citi Bike and fleeing towards Central Park. He was last seen heading into Central Park on the Center Drive at about 6:48 a.m., and remains on the loose.

The suspect is described as a male with light skin, wearing a light brown or cream-colored jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a “very distinctive grey backpack,” said Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Police release photos of wanted shooter after United Healthcare CEO is shot and killed outside NYC Hilton; Brian Thompson.NYPD CrimeStoppers; UnitedHealth Group

NYPD CrimeStoppers; UnitedHealth Group

Thompson was transported to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

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“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” Tisch noted.

Police are interviewing Thompson’s family and friends in Minnesota to see if anyone might have motive to kill him.

In an interview withNBC News, Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, said he’d been receiving threats.

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

Thompson became CEO of the Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group, America’s largest private health insurance provider, in 2021, after running the firm’s government programs, per his company bio. He joined the company in 2004.

source: people.com