The executive was the target of “a brazen targeted attack.”
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down early Wednesday morning outside the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel in what local authorities are calling “a brazen targeted attack.” This brutal shooting has now sparked a manhunt for the suspect, and law enforcement has been tasked with combing through surveillance cameras.
UnitedHealthcare, a subdivision of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest private health insurance payer in the U.S., and it has faced heated controversy over its relatively high rate of denial of potentially life-saving healthcare claims. So, we took a closer look at the late CEO and what happened, as details continue to emerge.
Who is Brian Thompson?
Most of what we know about Brian Thompson is through his high-powered position at UnitedHealthcare, where he had spent decades climbing up the ranks.
“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” the company said in a statement following the shooting. “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. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
He started at the company in 2004 as a director of corporate development before becoming chief financial officer of its government programs, including Medicare and retirement coverage.
In his most recent role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Thompson was responsible for leading growth across the company’s global, employer, individual, specialty, and government benefits businesses, according to a 2021 company statement.
Several of Thompson’s former colleagues shared recollections of him, remembering him as a hard worker and a good person. “Every interaction with him felt extremely genuine,” consultant Antonio Ciaccia told The New York Times.
But there appears to be more to the story: He was arrested on drunk driving charges in 2017, for which he received probation. He was also secretly separated from his wife, Paulette Thompson, for years before his fatal shooting. She said that his death left their family “shattered,” and revealed that he had been receiving death threats about his company’s “lack of coverage.”
What happened to Brian Thompson?
Thompson was shot to death at 6:46 a.m. ET on Dec. 4 while on his way to speak at UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference. Surveillance footage showed a masked gunman suddenly approaching him from behind and firing several rounds.
In a press conference, chief of detectives Joseph Kenny said that the suspect arrived at the scene about five minutes before Thompson. There are also photos of him stopping by a Starbucks before the attack.
The suspect, who fled the scene on a CitiBike bicycle, was last seen in Central Park. (Lyft, which runs CitiBike, has already said it plans to assist law enforcement in their investigation, which could be a valuable asset. The company can track the shooter’s location and potentially their identity.) Among the clues discovered were a cell phone, video footage of the suspect, and shell casings from bullets found at the scene with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose,” according to ABC News.
Thompson didn’t live long after the encounter. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, Mount Sinai West, where he was pronounced dead. While the attack appears to be premeditated, officials are still trying to figure out a motive for the murder. “This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference. “Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers across Thompson’s home state of Minnesota have paid their respects, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota,” Walz wrote on X.
Was Brian Thompson accused of insider trading?
The healthcare CEO was apparently one of several UnitedHealthcare executives who sold stocks less than two weeks before a probe by the Department of Justice was made public, according to a Crain’s New York Business report from April.
UnitedHealth Group’s chairman, Stephen Helmsley, its Chief People Officer, Erin McSweeney, and its Chief Accounting Officer, Tom Roos, are also under investigation. They collectively sold an estimated $101.5 million in stock shares right before the report.
The timing of this selling is considered suspicious because the stock price dropped sharply after the revelation that the DOJ was investigating whether the company had violated antitrust laws by making acquisitions that consolidated its market position.
Who shot Brian Thompson?
Police have described the suspected gunman as a light-skinned man wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, black-and-white sneakers, and a gray backpack. On Thursday, the New York police department released new images of the man wanted for questioning taken during an overnight stay at a hostel on the Upper West Side.
He lowered his face mask during an interaction with a female employee, allowing security cameras to capture the images.
“He lowers the mask, and gives that big smile,” CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller said. “That little flirtation between the two of them, in some good-humored way, actually yielded what is so far the most significant clue to identifying him.”
Three law enforcement officials familiar with the case told NBC News that investigators believe the gunman may have traveled to New York from Atlanta via bus in November.
We also know that he is “proficient in the use of firearms,” according to Kenny, the NYPD’s chief of detectives. “The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot,” he said in a news conference. “It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again.”
An unidentified source who’s familiar with the matter told CNBC the gunman’s firearm also used a silencer. However, Kenny said police have not been able to confirm it just yet, and this claim is under investigation.
Authorities have offered a $10,000 reward for information on the shooting. The NYPD says the public can make a confidential call to the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip via website.
