UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was assassinated about 6:45 AM EST in front of the Hilton Midtown Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, NYC on Wednesday.
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New York City police believe the unidentified shooter was waiting for Mr. Thompson since multiple people passed by before the shooter took aim with a handgun at him, hitting him in the back and leg.
"This was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters.
Police also identified several articles that might have belonged to the shooter, saying they are being tested for DNA.
A shell casing and live ammunition round inscribed with “delay” and “depose” were recovered from the sidewalk at the midtown hotel where Thompson, 50, was attacked. The words echo complaints many American consumers have aired about long waits for insurers to pay medical bills and legal fights over claims.
It would appear that the words signify strategies that health insurers use to “delay” or “deny” health coverage.
The shooter ran away following the killing, riding a bicycle north on 6th Avenue and then fleeing through Central Park.
Police have released close circuit footage of the individual, who wore a winter-weather mask that partially concealed his face.
Footage of the shooter standing in a Starbucks before the shooting took place might allow the police to indentify the shooter using facial recognition technology. The perpetrator is believed to be a white male.
Mr. Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group's insurance arm, in April 2021.
He first joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and had previously served as CEO of the company's government programs, including Medicare and retiree coverage, and community and state programs providing Medicaid and other types of coverage to millions of individuals.
In his most recent role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, he was responsible for leading growth across the company's global, employer, individual, specialty and government benefits businesses.
Mr. Thompson held other positions over his 20 years at the company, including chief financial officer for UnitedHealthcare's Employer and Individual, Community and State and Medicare and Retirement businesses.
He also served as the financial controller for UnitedHealthcare's Employer and Individual business and was a director in the company's corporate development division.
Before joining UnitedHealth Group, Mr. Thompson worked as a certified public accountant at accounting firm PwC.
Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and most recently resided in Maple Grove, Minnesota. ■
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