The wife of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson said on Wednesday that her husband had received threats before he was gunned down on the streets of New York City in what authorities are saying appeared to be a “brazen targeted attack.”
Paulette Thompson told NBC News in a phone call shortly after her husband’s death that she didn’t know the details of the threats against her husband, but guessed it could have been over “lack of coverage.” UnitedHealthcare is a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest companies in the world and the biggest health care conglomerate in the U.S., according to CNBC.
“There had been some threats. 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,” she said.
The health insurance CEO’s wife added, “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.”
A law enforcement official confirmed that Thompson had received multiple threats before he was killed and authorities are investigating the source and nature of them, The New York Times reported. The suspect is still at-large.
According to the NYPD, “every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”
Thompson was on his way to the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan — where his company was holding its annual Investor’s Conference — when he was shot multiple times just after 6:45 am by a suspect wearing all black with a backpack and holding a handgun. A person familiar with the investigation told CNBC that it appears the suspect used a gun with a silencer.
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The shooter fled on foot before getting onto an electric city bike and riding into Central Park, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny. The last known location of the suspect was in Central Park, and Kenny said the city e-bikes have GPS locators on them. Kenny added that authorities still do not know the motive for the shooting.
Police are offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who has information on the suspect.
