A bystander to the early morning assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson said he feared he would also be shot as he witnessed the gunman fleeing the scene.
‘I heard the shot, and I looked around and saw a guy with a gun,’ the witness said. ‘He shot three times and then he started running.’
He said he was ‘scared’ the gunman would turn on him as he was sat nearby in his car and watched ‘the whole thing.’
It comes as shocking surveillance footage obtained by DailyMail.com captured the CEO’s last moments as the horror shooting unfolded in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Thompson, 50, was seen leaving the hotel at 6:45am on Wednesday, when a masked assailant draws out a gun with a silencer and shoots him in the back.
After Thompson, the head of America’s largest health insurance company, stumbled away from the attacker, the gunman follows him and continues firing into the CEO as he hit the ground.
The assassin fled the scene and escaped into Central Park on a bike, with the NYPD releasing chilling images of the assassin to aid the search, along with a $10,000 reward.
Witnesses said the suspected gunman was seen waiting for some time outside the hotel before the shooting, and knew which door Thompson was going to emerge from before opening fire.
Thompson was named UnitedHealthcare CEO in 2021 and earned a reported $10 million a year, and for several years prior he ran the Medicare business within UnitedHealthcare.
He was slated to speak at an investor meeting at the Hilton Hotel soon after the shooting. According to a release from United Healthcare on Tuesday, he would announce the company’s hugely profitable 2025 financial outlook, including expected revenues upwards of $450 billion.
The suspect is at large, and is described as a white male wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, black and white sneakers, and a grey backpack.
Sources said that Thompson, who lives in Minnesota with his wife and children, was not a guest at the hotel but had arrived early to prepare for his presentation.
The gunman apparently knew which door Thompson was going to emerge from, and gunned him down. The suspect then jumped on a bicycle, and is believed to have fled to Central Park.
With the suspect still at large, the NYPD announced a $10,000 reward to anyone with information regarding the shooting.
Thompson’s wife Paulette said he had been receiving ‘some threats’ before his trip to New York.
‘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,’ she told NBC News.
A Hilton worker, who asked to remain anonymous, told DailyMail.com that staff have been left shaken by the public assassination on their doorstep.
‘For this to happen in this area, it’s weird,’ he said. ‘For this guy to do it around here with all these cameras and everything, there’s got to be something behind it. I mean obviously there was, you have to be pretty crazy to do something like that.’
It comes as Thompson was being investigated by the Department of Justice for antitrust violations and accused of insider trading.
Hours after the shooting, flags outside the UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota were lowered to half-staff as the company said in a statement it was ‘deeply saddened and shocked’ by the news of Thompson’s death.
The shooting unfolded hours before New Yorkers gather in the Midtown neighborhood for the annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.
Witness Amar Abdelmula, a driver, told PIX11: ‘I wasn’t paying attention and then I heard the shot. It was silent gun, black gun. (I) saw him after he shot him, and he was running across the street. I tried take a picture, but too far away, not clear.
‘I was shocked. First time I see crime in front of me,’ he added. ‘I was afraid he (would) shoot me too, my car, I saw everything.’
A huge police presence descended on the scene near W. 54th St. and 6th Avenue Wednesday morning. The NYPD has not yet released a motive.
Michael Dissen, who was at the hotel for a different conference, told DailyMail.com he heard a ‘commotion’ at around 7.05am.
‘I just heard all these sirens and I thought, “New York City”, but then I went up and had coffee and I saw everyone looking at their phones and I saw what happened,’ he said.
United Healthcare’s annual investor conference reportedly begun without interruption on the second floor of the Hilton until news of the shooting began to circulate.
Without knowing it was Thompson who was hit, one attendee told the group that ‘someone got shot outside.’
CEO of parent company United Healthgroup Andrew Witty reportedly halted the meeting at the hotel just after 8am upon hearing of the tragedy.
He told attendees: ‘We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members. As a result, I’m afraid, we’re going to have to bring to a close the event.’
United is the biggest health insurer by market share in America. The company has been the subject of frequent protests by activists for allegedly systematically denying care for patients.
One such protest earlier this year led to the arrests of 11 people outside the United Healthcare headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
The company made headlines in February after it was subjected to a cyber-attack which cost $872 million.
Minnesota leaders paid tribute to Thompson after news of his death was announced, with United Healthcare one of the state’s major employers.
Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic nominee for Vice-President Tim Walz, who was pictured with Thompson in 2022, said the shooting was ‘horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota.’
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey added in his own statement: ‘This is a shocking and devastating loss for our whole community. ‘Shocking’ is the only word I can find at the moment.’
UnitedHealth Group said the company was ‘deeply saddened and shocked’ by the news of Thompson’s death.
‘Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him,’ the company said.
Thompson is survived by his wife Paulette ‘Pauley’ Thompson, 51, and their two children who live in the family’s $1.5 million home in Maple Grove, Minnesota.
Mom-of-two Pauley is a practicing physical therapist for Park Nicollet Health Services with over 20 years of experience.
The mother has previously posted doting photos of herself and her two sons on family vacations, and gushed about how she loves spending time with her family and friends.
Thompson’s sister Enela Reveiz told the New York Times that she was stunned by the news of her brother’s slaying.
‘He was a good person and I am so sad,’ she said, describing Thompson as a good father to his two children.
A New York Hilton Midtown general manager told CNN in a statement: ‘We are deeply saddened by this morning’s events in the area and our thoughts are with all affected by the tragedy. Additional questions should be directed to the New York Police Department.’
