UnitedHealth Exec Fatally Shot While in NYC for Investor Conference, Reports Say

A UnitedHealth Group (UNH) executive was fatally shot Wednesday in midtown Manhattan near the site of an investor conference held by the health insurance and services firm.

Brian Thompson, CEO of the group’s insurance division, UnitedHealthcare, was shot near a Hilton hotel located about five blocks south of Central Park, in what authorities believe may have been a targeted attack, multiple news outlets reported.

UnitedHealth Group’s investorday activities were set to begin at 8 a.m., according to a press release. Company leaders concluded the event early Wednesday morning, acknowledging that a colleague was “dealing with a very serious medical situation,” according to a transcript of the event made available by AlphaSense.

UnitedHealth Group and New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Shares of the insurance giant, a Dow component, were recently up about 0.4% Wednesday morning

The New York Police Departmentsaid officers found a 50-year-old man with gunshot wounds in his leg and chest at 6:46 a.m. Wednesday. He was brought to Mount Sinai West Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, the police said.

Thompson started at UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and held various leadership posts before being named as CEO of its insurance division in April of 2021, according to the company.