UnitedHealth Insurance chief killed in targeted attack

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth’s insurance division, was shot and killed outside a midtown Manhattan hotel early Wednesday in what authorities believe was a targeted attack. Thompson, 50, was ambushed by a gunman as he waited near the Hilton on Sixth Avenue. Just ahead of the company’s annual investor conference at 6:45 a.m. ET (11:45 GMT). Despite being taken to a hospital, Thompson was pronounced dead. Police confirmed the gunman is at large, with his motive still under investigation. “This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, describing the attack as premeditated and deliberate. Surveillance footage revealed the suspect, masked and carrying a gray backpack, fleeing on foot before riding an electric bike through Central Park. The event coincided with preparations for the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, a television program was drawing a large crowd a few blocks away. Despite the death, the event went ahead under tight security measures.