The health insurance CEO gunned down in front of a busy New York City hotel on Wednesday didn't travel with any personal security detail, officials said, despite known threats against him.
A masked gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare chief Brian Thompson, 50, in a “premeditated, preplanned 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 UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference, when he was confronted by his killer.
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"Speaking to other employees that traveled with him to New York, it doesn't seem like he had a security detail," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. "He left the hotel by himself, was walking, didn't seem like he had any issues at at all."
The killer targeted Thompson, police said, as he waited for other pedestrians to pass before opening fire on the CEO.
"Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "The suspect fled first on foot, then on an e-bike and was last seen in Central Park."
The slain CEO had been receiving recent threats but hadn't been altering his travel routine, according to wife Paulette Thompson.
"Yes, there had been some threats," Thompson told NBC News on Wednesday. "Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
No current or former executives of UnitedHealth Group receive regular company-funded personal security service, according to the insurance giant's two most recent proxy statements. Companies have to report security expenses 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. SEC records, though, did not disclose which executives received this protection or how much was being spent.
CVS Health, another major player in health insurance, requires its CEO to use corporate aircraft and a corporate driver as part of a disclosed “executive security program,” according to regulatory filings.
Former FBI supervisor Rob D’Amico said Thompson's slaying has all the makings of a personal vendetta tied to the victim's company.
While a layman might initially believe finding the whereabouts of a high-ranking business figure would be difficult, a few quick Google searches could easily yield such information, according to D’Amico.
UnitedHealthcare's website listed that an investor conference was set for Wednesday, but it did not mention a meeting site.
"Even a layman can find there's so much on the internet now and people put so much out there," said D’Amico, now a security consultant.
Thompson lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, but police there hadn't been notified of any threats against him, Commander Jonathan Wetternach said Wednesday.
The only call for service to Thompson's home came on June 5, 2018, when his wife contacted police believing the residence's deadbolt was being opened by a stranger outside, according to police records.
But responding officers found no one there and the family eventually concluded that a contractor, with keys to the house, might have been the harmless source of that lock being jostled, 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 is leading the investigation. Further assistance will be provided if requested."
