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The executive, Brian Thompson, was shot in the chest in what people briefed on the investigations said appeared to be a targeted attack.
The chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, was fatally shot outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, according to a police report and two people familiar with the matter.
The report said that the executive, Brian Thompson, 50, was shot just after 6:45 a.m. at the New York Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue near 54th Street.
Police officers were still searching for the gunman, who fled on foot along Sixth Avenue, the report said. He was wearing a cream-colored jacket, a black face mask and a gray backpack.
The police believe Mr. Thompson was targeted in the attack, which happened during the company’s annual investor conference in New York City.
Mr. Thompson had arrived early to prepare, according to the people familiar with the investigation. The gunman apparently knew which door Mr. Thompson was going to enter and shot him several times from mere feet away, then fled. The gunman, the people said, ran, jumped on a bicycle and pedaled away.
Just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, yellow caution tape closed off the section of West 54th Street just outside the hotel entrance. Inside, the morning continued as usual, with guests ordering coffee and arriving with luggage.
The only sign of trouble was a small group of police officers huddled in front of a check-in sign for the conference.
Mr. Thompson was promoted to chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021, heading one unit of the larger UnitedHealth Group. He lives in Minnesota.
