No other words other than shocking, awful, and terrible. Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was murdered by gunshot around 6.45am this morning 4 December, outside the New York Hilton on Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) between 53rd and 54th Streets.
We know very little at this point. Reports indicate that a masked man approached outside the hotel and shot Mr. Thompson several times including in the chest near the 54th Street side entrance, then fled down Sixth Avenue towards Central Park nearby on a bicycle. Mr. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital as critical and pronounced dead. The shooting is being depicted as ‘targeted’ and as an ‘assassination’. The suspect was described as a white male wearing a cream-colored jacket, black mask, black gloves, black and white sneakers, and a grey backpack. (Other than the cream jacket in winter, totally unremarkable) Witness reports indicate that the suspect was waiting outside the hotel and was not a guest. (The Hilton is a standard place to meet people near Rockefeller Center and the business district.)
Mr. Thompson was in NYC scheduled to speak at UHG’s Investor Day conference today at the Hilton, the site of many meetings and conferences. UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty halted the meeting around 8am.
A personal note. For this Editor working two blocks away years ago at what was then the Burlington Building, in account management for the Campbell-Ewald ad agency on Eastern Airlines, the Hilton was an ‘all hours’ safe haven during long crazy hours, to meet a friend, grab a drink, or just to get out of the office. Nearby tonight is the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting. Thousands will be there. He will not be.
We at TTA extend our sympathies to Brian Thompson’s family, friends, co-workers, and everyone he touched. We hope the NYPD swiftly locates and arrests the suspect, bringing him to justice. This is developing.
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