A gunman shot the CEO of UnitedHealthcare outside a Midtown hotel this morning, NYPD officials have confirmed. Police are continuing to look for the shooter.

The shooting happened at 6:46 a.m. outside the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel on Sixth Avenue, police said. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot in the chest and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

Police said the shooter fled through an alley. NYPD officials said they’d received initial reports that the gunman was wearing a cream-colored jacket, but later told Gothamist he was dressed in all black, with a black face mask and black-and-white sneakers.

Police were planning to hold a press conference with more information at 11:30 a.m.

Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. He first joined the company’s corporate development team in 2004, and has since worked in a variety of leadership roles, according to his bio on the insurer’s website. He previously led government programs for UnitedHealthcare, as well as its Medicare and retirement program.

UnitedHealth Group — of which UnitedHealthcare is a division — was holding its annual Investor Conference on Wednesday. The event was scheduled to start at 8 a.m.

Thompson was visiting New York from his home in Minnesota.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said on X Wednesday, “This is horrifying news and a terrible loss for the business and health care community in Minnesota. Minnesota is sending our prayers to Brian’s family and the UnitedHealthcare team.”

UnitedHealth Group is the country's largest health insurance firm. The health care giant has grown to control a growing share of the health care industry overall, now also holding the title of the largest employer of physicians. The U.S. Department of Justice took action last month to rein in UnitedHealth Group’s dominance, filing a civil antitrust lawsuit to block the company from acquiring rival home health care and hospice agencies in what would be a $3.3 billion deal.

There have been no fatal shootings in the 18th Precinct, which covers the western portion of Midtown below Central Park, so far this year, according to NYPD data compiled by Gothamist.

This is a developing story and will be updated.