UnitedHealth executive shot dead outside New York hotel

This undated photo provided by UnitedHealth Group shows UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)

A senior executive of US healthcare giant UnitedHealth was shot dead on Wednesday in New York.

Brian Thompson, chief executive of the company’s insurance arm UnitedHealthcare, was pronounced dead at hospital after he was shot in central Manhattan, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Mr Thompson was at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, where UnitedHealthcare was due to hold an investor event on Wednesday morning.

The incident happened at around 6.45am local time and the attacker fled.

Police told the New York Times that they believed Mr Thompson was targeted in the attack.

An announcement was made to attendees that the event was being ended early.

New York Police Department officials said a 50-year-old man had been killed in the area but did not confirm his identity.

"This does not appear to be a random act of violence," said New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch at a press conference Wednesday. "It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes."

A manhunt is currently underway as New York police search for the masked suspect. A police poster offering a reward for information about the shooting shows surveillance stills of a man wearing a gray-colored backpack riding a bicycle, and another photo of the individual appearing to be pointing a gun. He was last seen in Central Park, Tisch said.

Mr Thompson had taken the chief executive role three years before and had worked for the company since 2004.

He also headed up the company’s government programmes and its Medicare and retirement division in previous roles.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare health insurance plans in the country.

It also manages health insurance for companies, as well as state-funded and federally funded Medicare.

Mr Thompson lived and worked in Minnesota.

The state’s governor, Tim Walz, said: “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and healthcare community in Minnesota.

“Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.” UnitedHealth Group was approached for comment.

-Additional reporting from Reuters