Manhunt underway as top US health insurance executive shot dead by masked gunman in New York

UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, 50, was shot just before 7am at the hotel in the Midtown district of Manhattan while he was on his way to a conference.

LAST UPDATE | 7 hrs ago

THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of one of the United States’ biggest health insurance companies has been shot dead in an apparent targeted hit in New York.

The New York Times reported that UnitedHealthcare boss Brian Thompson, 50, was shot just before 7 am at the hotel in the Midtown district of Manhattan – media reports from CNBC suggest a silencer had been used in the attack.

The gunman, described as wearing a black face mask, then fled following the incident. He left via a laneway towards Central Park on an ebike – he was wearing dark clothing and wearing a distinctive grey backpack.

Police confirmed a shooting at the location with officers swarming around the area around the hotel, a usually busy corner of Manhattan that would have been filled with commuters at the time of the shooting.

Brian-Thompson-headshot Murder victim Brian Thompson.

UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UHC, had revenues of $100.8 billion (€95.7 billion) in the third quarter of the year.

UnitedHealthcare’s employer and individual products are used by almost 30 million people in the United States according to an investor presentation.

The company was due to hold an investor day in New York Wednesday at which Thompson was scheduled to deliver a keynote speech.

The event has subsequently been canceled, CNBC reported.