UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had security detail for NYC trip but was alone when shooter pounced

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had a security guard with him on his trip to New York City, but he was alone when he was ambushed in a fatal attack Wednesday morning.

Thompson, 50, was assigned an internal security team 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 said. CNN.

It is the norm for large healthcare companies to entrust personal security to their top executives.

Thompson traveled to New York to present UnitedHealthcare’s 2025 financial guidance — which included projected revenues of more than $450 billion — despite his wife saying he had been exposed to threats beforehand.

After news of the killing emerged, U.S. healthcare companies began tightening the security credentials of their top executives.

Thompson’s $1.1 million mansion – less than a mile from his ex-wife’s home on the same street – was subject to the bomb threat 12 hours after he was shot.

The bomb threat was in an email addressed to the city attorney of Maple Grove, MN, claiming that there was a pipe bomb in Thompson’s home.

A bomb squad was dispatched but found no bomb, and the squad also evacuated the nearby home of Thompson’s wife Pauley.

The CEO had no security with him when an assassin walked up behind him and shot him dead

The hunt for the gunman took New York City police to at least two hostels on Manhattan’s Upper West Side Thursday morning, based on a tip that the suspected gunman may have been staying at one of the residences, according to one of the law enforcement officials had been informed. the research.

Police also released photos of a person they said was wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. According to images of the lobby available online, the photos appear to have been taken in the lobby of the HI New York City hostel.

“We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and as this is an active investigation, we cannot comment at this time,” hostel spokesperson Danielle Brumfitt said in an emailed statement.

Investigators believe, based on surveillance footage and evidence collected at the scene, that the shooter had at least some prior firearms training and experience with firearms and that the weapon was equipped with a silencer, said one of the law enforcement officials who spoke to the AP.

Investigators were also looking into whether the suspect had pre-positioned a bicycle as part of an escape plan, the official said. The gunman fled on a bicycle and was last seen riding into Central Park.

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, 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 people threatening him.” She had no details but suggested the threats may have involved insurance coverage issues.

Insiders told the New York Times that investigators have not yet determined his identity, and that comparisons between names and a smiling photo released this morning were inconclusive.