UnitedHealth unit CEO murdered early Wednesday in Manhattan

Brian Thompson, the CEO of the largest UnitedHealth Group (UNH) unit, was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan early Wednesday morning, Bloomberg reports. Details are few at the moment, but Thompson, 50 years of age, was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after the shooting, the New York Police Department told Bloomberg.

UnitedHealth's share price fell by more than $15 in the premarket as the news surfaced but had begun gaining before the opening bell. UNH stock then jumped 2.8% after the open on Wednesday before drifting lower toward a 0.6% advance.

As the largest member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the largest health insurer in the US, the news might steer the index’s direction midweek. But after the opening bell, the DJIA surged 0.6%.

Brian Thompson shooting

PIX11, a local NYC channel, was the first to report that at about 6:46 AM local time, Thompson was shot in the chest while he stood outside of the Hilton hotel in Manhattan. Thompson was in town to host an investor day for the company, but the UnitedHealth Group CEO quickly cancelled the event due to the incident.

The attack was likely targeted, sources told Bloomberg, as the gunman was waiting for Thompson upon his arrival, shot him from around six meters away, and then fled the area on foot.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a late morning press conference that the shooting was premeditated. The shooter, a white male, used a silencer on the handgun and fled after firing two shoots at Thompson. The Commissioner said the perpetrator then rode a bicycle toward Central Park but has not been located.

"This was a premediatated, preplanned, targeted attack," Tisch said.

The Hilton hotel, at which Thompson was staying, is in a wealthy section of Manhattan, where crime like this is quite unusual. The hotel sits on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The gunman wore a mask and fled eastbound on 6th Avenue, according to The New York Post.

Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare (Source: UnitedHealth Group)

Brian Thompson emerged in April 2021 to take over the top role at UnitedHealthcare, the largest unit by revenue at UnitedHealth Group. Since then, the UNH stock performance has beaten the S&P 500, rising more than 111%. UnitedHealthcare reported $74.9 billion in revenue in its most recent quarter and 29.7 million domestic customers.

Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and held numerous leadership positions within the company before becoming CEO of the UnitedHealthcare unit. He had been in charge of leading the government-focused part of the business that deals with Medicare plans before taking over as UnitedHealthcare CEO. He was also currently listed as an Executive Vice President of the parent company in addition to his main role heading up the company's largest division.

Thompson's wife spoke with NBC News and claimed that her husband had been receiving threats from someone recently.

(This story was corrected on December 4 at 14:50 GMT to say that Brian Thompson was the CEO of the UnitedHealthcare unit, the company's largest segment, not the CEO of UnitedHealth Group)