The wife of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson said her husband was receiving threats before being fatally shot on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk Wednesday morning.
"There had been some threats," Paulette Thompson told NBC News on Wednesday in her first public comments since her husband's death.
"Basically, I don't know, a lack of coverage?" she said, seemingly speculating about a motive for the attack and referring to Brian Thompson's position as CEO of UnitedHealthcare's insurance division.
"I don't know details," she told NBC News by phone. "I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."
Paulette Thompson confirmed that police had told her that the shooting appeared to be a "targeted attack."
"I can't really give a thoughtful response right now," she said. "I just found this out and I'm trying to console my children."
Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside the New York Hilton hotel on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group's investor conference.
A masked gunman who had been lying in wait approached him from behind and "fired several rounds," striking him at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf.
Brian Thompson was later was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital, police said.
At a Wednesday news conference, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the shooting seems to have been a targeted attack.
"The motive for this murder is currently unknown, but based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear the victim was specifically targeted," Kenny said. "But at this point, we do not know why."
According to police, the suspect was wearing a black hoodie and black pants and was carrying a gray backpack. A person familiar with the matter told CNBC that the suspect appears to have used a firearm with a silencer.
Police said the shooter fled the scene on foot and then took off into Central Park on a New York Citi Bike. No arrests have been made. Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.