The health insurance CEO who was gunned down outside a busy New York City hotel on Wednesday did not travel with personal security details, officials said, despite known threats against him.
A masked gunman fatally shot 50-year-old Brian Thompson, head of UnitedHealthcare, in a “premeditated, pre-planned targeted attack” outside the New York Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan, police said.
Thompson was staying at another nearby hotel before heading solo to the Hilton, on his way to speak at the UnitedHealth Group investor conference, when he was confronted by his killer.
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“Talking to other associates who have traveled to New York with him, it does not appear that he has a security detail,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. “He left the hotel alone, walked and seemed like he had no problems at all.”
Police on Wednesday placed bullet casing markers outside a Hilton hotel in downtown Manhattan where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot.
The killer targeted Thompson, police said, as he waited for other pedestrians to pass by before opening fire on the CEO.
“Many people passed by the suspect, but he appeared to be waiting for his intended target,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “The suspect first fled on foot, then on an e-bike and was last seen in Central Park.”
The slain CEO had received recent threats but had not changed his travel routine, his wife Paulette Thompson said.
“Yes, there had been some threats,” Thompson told NBC News on Wednesday. “Actually, I don’t know, a lack of reporting? I don’t know the details. All I know is that he said there were people threatening him.”
Brian Thompson was named CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021.
According to the insurance giant’s two most recent proxy statements, current or former UnitedHealth Group executives do not receive a regular, company-funded personal security service. Companies must report security costs for directors or corporate officers if the value exceeds $10,000 per year.
Two of UnitedHealthcare’s peers, Humana and Cigna, both said in their most recent proxy statements that they provide personal security to executives. However, SEC data did not reveal which executives received this protection or how much was issued.
CVS Health, another major player in health insurance, requires its CEO to use company jets and a company driver as part of a disclosed “executive security program,” regulatory filings show.
Former FBI Supervisor Rob D’Amico said Thompson’s murder has all the makings of a personal vendetta tied to the victim’s business.
While a layperson might initially think it would be difficult to find the whereabouts of a high-ranking businessman, a few quick Google searches could easily turn up such information, D’Amico said.
UnitedHealthcare’s website said an investor conference was scheduled for Wednesday, but did not list a meeting location.
“Even a layman can figure out that there is so much on the Internet these days and people are putting so much on the Internet,” says D’Amico, now a security consultant.
Thompson lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, but police there had not been notified of any threats against him, Commander Jonathan Wetterach said Wednesday.
The only call for help to Thompson’s home came on June 5, 2018, when his wife contacted police believing the home’s deadbolt was being opened by a stranger outside, according to police records.
But responding officers found no one there and the family ultimately concluded that a contractor, with keys to the house, may have been the harmless cause of that lock being displaced, Wetternach added.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the Thompson family during this difficult time,” Maple Grove police said in a statement. “Maple Grove investigators are in contact with the NYPD, who are leading the investigation. Further assistance will be provided upon request.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
