UnitedHealth exec shot in Manhattan attack

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in what police described as a "brazen" targeted attack by a gunman lying in wait for him.

Thompson, 50, was shot outside the Hilton on Sixth Avenue, where the company's annual investor conference was about to take place. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police said the gunman remains at large and they are still investigating a motive.

Video showed the gunman arriving outside the Hilton about five minutes before Thompson. He ignored several other people walking by, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. When Thompson approached the hotel, the gunman shot him in the back with a pistol and then continued firing, even after his gun appeared to jam.

"This does not appear to be a random act of violence," New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference. "Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack."

The suspect, wearing a mask and carrying a gray backpack, fled on foot before mounting an electric bike and riding into Central Park, police said.

The killing took place just hours before the city's annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center a few blocks away, a televised event that draws massive crowds. Police officials said the lighting would proceed as planned under heavy security.

UnitedHealth is the largest US health insurer, providing benefits to tens of millions of Americans, who pay more for healthcare than in any other country.

The company has been grappling with the fallout from a massive data hack of its Change Healthcare unit that provides technology for U.S. health providers, disrupting medical care for patients and reimbursement to doctors for months.