American UnitedHealthcare insurance division’s CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in New York City. The New York Police Department (NYPD) says the Sixth Ave. shooting was a “brazen, targeted” attack.” A masked gunman opened fire at 6:46 a.m. and shot Thompson, 50, multiple times. The gunshots hit Thompson’s torso, calf and back. Police found three live 9-millimeter rounds and three discharged shell casings at the scene. The shooter was “lying in wait” outside the hotel, said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, according to the New York Post. “Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” she said. .First responders desperately tried to save his life with CPR, and he was rushed in critical condition to Roosevelt Hospital. There, at 7:12 a.m., Thompson was pronounced dead. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told the Post the gunman appeared to be skilled with a firearm. The suspect fled the scene, grabbed an electric Citi Bike and disappeared into Central Park.”The motivation behind the assassination is unknown, said Kenny. UnitedHealth was holding an investors’ conference at the hotel. A manhunt is underway and the NYPD and CrimeStoppers have offered a $10,000 reward for information. Thompson’s wife Paulette Thompson said her husband received “some threats” prior to the fatal shooting. Thomson leaves behind Paulette and their two children. The family lives in Minnesota.“There had been some threats,” she told NBC. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.” Kenny said Thompson, who was staying at the nearby Marriot hotel, was approaching the Hilton for the investors’ meeting when the masked shooter opened fire. “The shooter steps onto the sidewalk from behind the car, he ignores numerous other pedestrians, approaches the victim from behind and shoots him in the back,” Kenny said. “The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot.”The suspect was described as a white male wearing a dark jacket, black face mask, black and white sneakers and was carrying a distinctive gray backpack, officials told the Post. “The motive for this murder currently is unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted,” Kenny said.“But at this point, we do not know why.”
