Optum staff in Letterkenny briefed after CEO of sister company shot dead in New York

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead in New York on Wednesday.

Mr Thompson was the CEO of the company which is, like the Letterkenny-based Optum, a subsidiary of the UnitedHealth Group.

Mr Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan as he headed for UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference at the New York Hilton Hotel.

A gunman is reported to have been laying in wait in sub-zero temperatures before opening fire on Mr Thompson.

The assailant was said to have fled on a bicycle and is believed to have headed to Central Park.

At Mount Sinai West hospital, where he was taken in a critical condition, Mr Thompson, who was shot in the chest, was pronounced dead.

Mr Thompson visited Optum employees in Letterkenny on several occasions, including an Optum town hall meeting held at An Danlann on the ATU campus. He was known to have enjoyed golfing in Donegal.

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Optum staff in Letterkenny were briefed of the incident in an email.