UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot by a gunman who “targeted” the insurance executive, New York police said Wednesday morning.

Thompson, 50, was shot by a masked gunman outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan early Wednesday morning as he entered the hotel for an investor conference, NYPD officials said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

The gunman lay in wait “for several minutes” outside the Hilton, waiting for the arrival of Thompson, who was staying at a hotel across the street, said NYPD Detective Jessica Tisch.

Shortly before 6:45 a.m., the gunman fired at least three bullets at Thompson, hitting him from behind in the back and leg, before fleeing north on Sixth Avenue, hopping on an electric Citi bike and fleeing toward Central Park. He was last seen heading to Central Park on Center Drive around 6:48 a.m. and remains at large.

The suspect is described as a man with light skin, wearing a tan or cream jacket, a black face mask, black and white sneakers and carrying a “very distinctive gray backpack,” Detective Chief Joseph Kenny said. Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Thompson was taken to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The circumstances indicate that the unknown gunman intentionally targeted the CEO in a “brazen, targeted attack,” Tisch noted, by someone who, according to Kenny, appears to be “proficient” with firearms.

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“This does not appear to be a random act of violence,” Tisch noted.

Police said there was a cell phone connected to a nearby alley, which they believe is related to the case.

Police are interviewing Thompson’s family and friends in Minnesota to determine whether anyone might have a motive to kill him.

In an interview with NBC News, Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, said he had received threats.

“Yes, there were some threats, I basically don’t know, lack of reporting? I don’t know any details,” she said. “All I know is that he said there were some people who threatened him.”

According to his company bio, Thompson became CEO of Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group, America’s largest private health insurance provider, in 2021 after leading the company’s government programs. He joined the company in 2004.