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UnitedHealthcare head, Brian Thompson was shot dead in a hit man incident on 4 December, 2024 at 6:46 a.m in front of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
Just after 9 p.m. , Wight had yet to leave; he was waiting for Thompson to speak at an investors’ conference at 10 : 46 a.m.
He is 50 years old and has been with UnitedHealth Group since 2004, becoming the company’s CEO in April this year.
Thompson was shot several times at close range with a gun man who was waiting near the hotel entrance.
Police Surveillance cameras captured the bad-mouth moments as he sneaked from the back and fired several shots at Thompson; he then fled the scene.
Bystanders perceived the gunman as calm during the shooting operation, which police regarded as deliberate and aggressive.
Thompson was shot right away and was rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital where he died upon arrival.
Police investigation showed that the person who pulled the trigger got to the scene about five minutes before Thompson and was at a coffee shop near the scene at the time of the shooting.
The modus operandi of the attacker is now under investigation, particularly, whether the assailant left behind an electric bike so that he could easily make his escape soon after the attack.
Authorities have stated this was not a random act of violence; it was a targeted attack on Thompson.
The NYPD has initiated a police hunt for the unknown suspect. Officers are using facial recognition and probing an abandoned cellular communication device linked to the shooter.
After the shooting of Thompson, UnitedHealth Group in their measure of grief extended condolence to members of their team over their lost leader. It called him a friend and a colleague who has positively changed healthcare.
Thompson was characterized by focus on growth and taking new directions in the organization.
But the motive behind the shooting remains unclear although police have several theories that they are considering.
There are impediments to the effect that before the death of Thompson that he could have received threats but there aren’t clear details to the threats.
Officers are also investigating whether Thompson had any connection to his working place at UnitedHealthcare.
Police are also seeking to get more details of the suspect movements before and after the shooting through the videos obtained from other ‘other smaller businesses around the Hilton Hotel’.
The New York Police Department has provided photographs of a man of interest to the cameras and wanted for questioning relating to the attack.
The shooting has raised concern in the healthcare and the broader business environment as policymakers and security experts debate physical security of top company executives at public functions.
After this terrible event, organizations are trying to redesign the safety measures to protect their executives and workers.
To this date, no arrest has been made linking Thompson’s death and the police are still seeking the public’s help to identify the shooter.
There is a $1 million reward for anyone who provides information that will lead to an arrest; this consequently makes it important for this case to be solved as soon as possible. The probe remains open as the authorities perform the efforts to establish the background of this sad story.
The absence of Brian Thompson is still a significant shift for UnitedHealthcare, especially focusing on continuous perils in the public places, most of the time for fame people.
