UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is shot and killed in New York City

Brian Thompson, the chief executive of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealthcare, has been shot and killed in Manhattan, Bloomberg News and New York City media reported.

Bloomberg reported that Thompson, 50, was fatally shot outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown.

Company leaders were gathered in New York for the annual conference for investors in parent company UnitedHealth Group, where CEO Andrew Witty abruptly halted the meeting just after 8 a.m. central time.

“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members,” Witty said. “As a result, I’m afraid, we’re going to have to bring to a close the event.”

Thompson in April 2021 was named CEO at the UnitedHealthcare division, which is the nation’s largest health insurer. For several years prior, he ran the Medicare business within UnitedHealthcare.

An executive at the company for two decades, Thompson graduated in 1997 from the University of Iowa, according to his LinkedIn page, where he studied business administration and accounting.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.