XPost: alt.business.insurance, alt.politics.obama, talk.politics.guns   
   XPost: sac.politics   
   From: nospam@ix.netcom.com   
      
   Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group   
   ’s insurance unit, was fatally shot outside the Hilton hotel in midtown   
   Manhattan on Wednesday morning in what appears to be “a brazen, targeted   
   attack,” the New York Police Department said.   
      
   “I want to be clear at this time, every indication is that this was a   
   premeditated, preplanned, targeted attack,” Police Commissioner Jessica   
   Tisch said during a news conference Wednesday following the shooting.   
      
   “This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” she said, adding   
   that the department is carrying out a full investigation.   
      
   Thompson, 50, led UnitedHealthcare, the largest private health insurer in   
   the U.S. He was on the way to UnitedHealth Group’s investor day set for   
   Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET at the Hilton, the NYPD said. The company canceled   
   that event after the shooting.   
      
   Patrol officers responded to a 911 call at 6:46 a.m. ET about a person   
   shot in front of the Hilton hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, NYPD   
   Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during the news conference. Officers   
   arrived at 6:48 a.m. ET to find Thompson on the sidewalk with gunshot   
   wounds to his back and leg, he added.   
      
   Emergency medical services brought Thompson to Roosevelt Hospital where he   
   was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. ET, according to Kenny.   
      
   The suspect showed up at the location on foot, roughly five minutes before   
   Thompson arrived outside the Hilton, Kenny said. Several people passed him   
   as he waited for Thompson, he added.   
      
   As Thompson walked alone toward the Hilton, the suspect stepped onto the   
   sidewalk from behind a car and approached Thompson from behind, firing   
   several rounds that struck him at least once in the back and at least once   
   in the right calf, according to Kenny and security video obtained by NBC   
   News. After initial shots, the gun appeared to malfunction before the   
   suspect fired again.   
      
   Following the shooting, the suspect fled on foot into an alleyway between   
   54th and 55th streets, according to Kenny. He said the suspect then walked   
   west on Avenue of the Americas, where he got onto an e-bike and rode   
   toward Central Park.   
      
   Tisch said the suspect was last seen in Central Park on Center Drive early   
   this morning. Kenny said the suspect wore a black face mask, black and   
   white sneakers, and a “very distinctive” gray backpack. The video of the   
   shooting showed the suspect wearing a hooded jacket.   
      
   The NYPD recovered three live 9 mm rounds and three discharged 9 mm shell   
   casings at the scene, Kenny said. He added that they recovered a   
   cellphone.   
      
   No arrests have been made. The NYPD has increased the reward in the case   
   to $10,000, Tisch noted.   
      
   The suspect in the shooting was described as using a firearm with a   
   silencer, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC.   
      
   Kenny said the NYPD is unable to determine yet whether the suspect used a   
   silencer. The department will investigate that further, he said.   
      
   A hot dog vendor near the Hilton who was present at 6:30 a.m. ET said he   
   did not hear any gunshots but noticed a sudden swarm of police. A Hilton   
   doorman who began his shift at 7 a.m. ET said everything appeared to be   
   “pretty normal” at the hotel. Both people asked not to be named.   
      
   In a statement, a spokesperson for New York Citi Bike-operator Lyft said   
   the company stands “ready to assist law enforcement with this   
   investigation.”   
      
   Thompson is survived by his wife, Paulette Thompson, and their two   
   children.   
      
   Thompson’s wife told NBC News that he had been receiving threats. She said   
   the NYPD told her it was a planned attack.   
      
   “Yes, there had been some threats basically I don’t know, a lack of   
   coverage? I don’t know details,” she told NBC News. “I just know that he   
   said there were some people that had been threatening him.”   
      
   She told NBC News that Thompson did not alter any of his travel habits   
   despite the threats.   
      
   “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” Paulette Thompson   
   told NBC News. “I just found this out and I’m trying to console my   
   children. ”   
      
   UnitedHealth Group is the biggest health-care conglomerate in the United   
   States based on revenue and its roughly $563 billion market cap.   
   UnitedHealthcare posted more than $281 billion in revenue last year,   
   making up more than two-thirds of UnitedHealth Group’s annual revenue for   
   2023.   
      
   Shares of UnitedHealth Group rose more than 1% on Wednesday.   
      
   In a statement Wednesday, UnitedHealth Group said it was “deeply saddened   
   and shocked at the passing” of Thompson. The company called him 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,” UnitedHealth   
   Group said. “Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to   
   him.”   
      
   Earlier Wednesday, the company canceled its investor event when it   
   acknowledged a “medical situation” with an employee.   
      
   “I’m afraid that we – some of you may know we’re dealing with very serious   
   medical situation with one of our team members,” Chief Executive Officer   
   Andrew Witty said during the investor day, according to a transcript. “And   
   as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event   
   today, which I’m sure you’ll understand.”   
      
   Thompson had worked for United Health for just over 20 years, joining the   
   company in April 2004 after spending nearly seven years at PwC, according   
   to his LinkedIn page. He stepped in as CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April   
   2021 after serving as the top executive of the insurance unit’s government   
   programs.   
      
   Thompson was a resident of Maple Grove, Minnesota, a suburb of   
   Minneapolis, and graduated valedictorian from the University of Iowa.   
      
   Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said in a statement Wednesday she was   
   briefed on the shooting and directed the state police to provide the NYPD   
   with any necessary help with the investigation.   
      
   “Our hearts are with the family and loved ones of Mr. Thompson and we are   
   committed to ensuring the perpetrator is brought to justice,” she said.   
      
   Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota called the killing “horrifying news and a   
   terrible loss for the business and health care community” in a post   
   Wednesday on X.   
      
   UnitedHealth Group is still grappling with the fallout from a ransomware   
   attack in February targeting its company, Change Healthcare, which   
   processes medical claims. The attack compromised the protected health   
   information of at least 100 million people.   
      
   https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/unitedhealth-cancels-investor-day-after-   
   reports-of-executive-shot-in-manhattan.html   
      
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