Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the US, was shot to death today in midtown Manhattan, police confirmed to CNN.

Thompson was on his way to a New York hotel to attend a UnitedHealthcare conference at the time of the attack.

The gunman, who investigators say had been waiting for some time before Thompson arrived, opened fire from a distance of about 7 meters and fired several times.

As the New York Post writes, the attacker was masked and fled eastbound on Sixth Avenue.

Other details are unknown, but investigators say it was a planned murder.