The wife of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson revealed to NBC News shortly after his fatal shooting that he’d been receiving threats.
“Yes, there had been some threats. … I don’t know details,” his wife, Paulette Thompson, told the network after her husband was shot in New York City on Wednesday morning. “I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
She believed the threats had to do with “a lack of coverage” ― ostensibly referring to UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, denying some insurance coverage.
“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now,” she continued. “I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children.”
Her husband didn’t alter any of his travel habits despite the threats, she told NBC News.
New York City Police say the CEO’s shooting outside the Hilton hotel in Manhattan’s Midtown was a “pre-planned, targeted attack” that did “not appear to be a random act of violence.”
As of 2 p.m. local time, no arrests have been made and officers are still searching for the gunman, who was last spotted biking through Central Park.
Brian Thompson had served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare for more than three years and first joined the company in 2004, according to the company’s website. He lived in Minnesota.