NEW YORK — Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, was shot and killed by a masked man near a Midtown Manhattan hotel early Wednesday, according to police sources.
The gunfire broke out just before 7 a.m. near the New York Hilton on Sixth Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets.
Brian Thompson, 50, from Minnesota, was shot in the chest, police sources said. He was rushed to Mount Sinai West where he later died.
The shooting appears to be targeted but police do not know why, sources said.
Thompson was not staying at the Hilton outside of which he was shot, sources said.
Thompson was in New York City for an investors conference and his schedule was widely known, police sources said.
“I wasn’t paying attention and then I heard the shot. It was a silent gun, a black gun, I saw him after he shot him and was running across the street. I tried to take a picture, but I was too far away, it was not clear,” said Amar Abdelmula, a driver.
The gunman, who was wearing a ski mask, fled down an alleyway near West 55th Street and remains at large, police said.
“I was shocked. First time I see crime in front of me,” Abdelmula said. “I was afraid he shoot me too, my car, I saw everything.”
The suspect is described as a skinny man wearing all black who stands at about 6-foot-1, police said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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