By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-05 20:17:06 | Updated at 2024-12-22 16:17:45
2 weeks ago
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson did have a security detail with him on his New York City trip, but he was alone when he was ambushed in a fatal attack Wednesday morning.
Thompson, 50, had an in-house security team assigned to him for his stay in Manhattan, but they were not with him when he was shot dead as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown, a source told CNN.
It's the norm for major health care companies to assign personal security to their top executives.
Thompson traveled to New York to present UnitedHealthcare's 2025 financial outlook - which included projected revenues over $450 billion - despite his wife saying he was subjected to threats beforehand.
After news of the killing emerged, US health care corporations began increasing the security details of their top executives.
Thompson's $1.1 million mansion - less than a mile away from his ex-wife's home on the same street - was subjected to the bomb threat 12 hours after he was shot.
The bomb threat was directed to the City Attorney from Maple Grove, MN in an email, claiming there was a pipe bomb at Thompson's home.
A bomb squad was dispatched but found no bomb, and the squad also cleared Thompson's wife Pauley's nearby home.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside Manhattan's Hilton Hotel on Wednesday
The CEO had no security with him when an assassin walked up behind him and shot him dead
The hunt for the shooter brought New York City police Thursday morning to at least two hostels on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, based on a tip that the suspected shooter may have stayed at one of the residences, according to one of the law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
Police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. The photos appeared to have been taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel, according to images of the lobby available online.
'We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, can not comment at this time,' Danielle Brumfitt, a spokesperson for the hostel said in an emailed statement.
Investigators believe, judging from surveillance video and evidence collected from the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with guns and the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke with the AP.
Investigators also were looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bike as part of an escape plan, the official said. The shooter fled on a bike and was last seen riding into Central Park.
The insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc. ended the conference early in the wake of Thompson’s death.
Police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting
'Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,' UnitedHealth Group said in a statement.
'We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.'
Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he told her 'there were some people that had been threatening him.' She didn’t have details but suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Insiders told the New York Times that detectives have not yet landed on his identity, and comparisons between names and a smiling photo released this morning have been inconclusive.
