Despite known threats against the dead executive, officials said the healthcare CEO who was shot down in front of a bustling hotel in New York City on Wednesday did not travel with any personal security detail.
In a planned, premeditated targeted attack at the New York Hilton Midtown on Sixth Avenue in the center of Manhattan, a masked shooter killed UnitedHealthcare chief Brian Thompson, 50, with a pistol equipped with a silencer, according to authorities.
Before traveling alone to the Hilton to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor meeting, Thompson was staying at another hotel in the area when his killer encountered him.
“It doesn’t seem like he had a security detail,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters after speaking with other staff members who accompanied him to New York. “He left the hotel by himself, was walking, didn’t seem like he had any issues at at all.”
According to investigators, Thompson was the objective of the murderer, who fired on the CEO after waiting for other pedestrians to pass.
According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, “the suspect was passed by a lot of people, but he seemed to wait for his intended target.” “The suspect fled first on foot then on an e-bike and was last seen in Central Park.”
Wife Paulette Thompson said that despite recent threats, the deceased CEO had not changed his travel schedule.
“Yes, there had been some threats,” Thompson admitted to NBC News Tuesday. “Basically, a lack of coverage, I guess? Details are unknown to me. All I know is that he claimed that some individuals had been threatening him.
According to the insurance behemoth’s two most recent proxy statements, neither current nor previous executives of UnitedHealth Group get regular company-funded personal protection services. If a company’s annual security expenditures for directors or corporate officers surpass $10,000, they must be reported.
In its most recent proxy papers, UnitedHealthcare’s competitors Humana and Cigna also claimed to offer CEOs personal security. However, neither the executives who were granted this protection nor the amount spent were revealed in SEC records.
According to regulatory filings, CVS Health, another significant player in the health insurance market, mandates that its CEO use corporate planes and a corporate driver as part of a stated executive protection program.
According to former FBI Supervisor Rob D. Amico, Thompson’s murder appears to be the result of a personal grudge connected to the victim’s business.
According to D Amico, a few fast Google searches may quickly provide the whereabouts of a high-ranking corporate figure, despite the layperson’s initial belief that it would be challenging.
An investor conference was scheduled on Wednesday, according to UnitedHealthcare’s website, but no meeting location was specified.
D Amico, a security consultant today, stated, “Even a layman can find there’s so much on the internet now and people put so much out there.”
Commander Jonathan Wetternach stated on Wednesday that local police in Maple Grove, a suburb of Minneapolis, had not received any reports of threats against Thompson.
According to police records, the only time Thompson’s home was called for assistance was on June 5, 2018, when his wife called the police because she thought someone outside was opening the deadbolt.
However, the family eventually came to the conclusion that a contractor with house keys might have been the innocent source of that lock being jostled after arriving officers discovered no one there, Wetternach continued.
According to a statement from Maple Grove police, “We extend our deepest condolences to the Thompson family during this difficult time.” “The NYPD is in charge of the investigation, and Maple Grove investigators are in communication with them. If more help is needed, it will be given.
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