UnitedHealth CEO murdered early Wednesday in Manhattan

• UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in Manhattan Wednesday morning.
• Thompson was shot by a masked gunman as the CEO was in the city for an investor meeting.
• UNH stock is largely unaffected so far in Wednesday’s premarket.

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group (UNH), the largest health insurer in the US, was gunned down outside a Hilton hotel in Manhattan early Wednesday morning, Bloomberg reports. Details are few at the moment, but Thompson, 50 years of age, was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after the shooting, the New York Police Department told Bloomberg.

UnitedHealth’s share price fell by more than $15 as the news surfaced but has begun gaining before the opening bell. As the largest member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), the news might steer the index’s direction midweek. But at the time of writing, DJIA futures are up 0.4%.

Brian Thompson shooting

PIX11, a local NYC channel, was the first to report that at about 6:46 AM local time, Thompson was gunned down while he stood outside of the Hilton hotel in Manhattan. Thompson was in town to host an investor day for the company.

The Hilton hotel, at which Thompson was staying, is in a wealthy section of Manhattan, where crime like this is unusual. The hotel sits on 54th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. The gunman wore a mask and fled eastbound on 6th Avenue, according to The New York Post.

Brian Thompson emerged in April 2021 to take over the top role at UnitedHealth. Since then, the UNH stock performance has beaten the S&P 500, rising more than 111%. Thompson joined UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and held numerous leadership positions within the company before becoming CEO.