United HealthCare CEO Killed in Targeted Attack in New York City

United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in a targeted attack early Wednesday in Manhattan. That’s according to CNN.

Thompson was shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown at 6:44 a.m. While from Minnesota, he was in town for the company’s annual investor conference. He was named CEO in 2021.

Surveillance footage of the shooting showed that the gunman, shown above in an image released by the NYPD, specifically targeted Thompson and used a gun with a silencer. He fled the scene in an e-bike after the shooting.

Thompson was walking alone by himself at the time of the shooting. The suspect fired three shots.

The brazen attack could lead to questions for high-profile companies and whether CEOs and other C-suite level employees should have more protection.

According to the The New York Times, dozens of chief security officers from Fortune 500 companies convened in a video call on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the shooting.

The discussion focused on best practices and reviews of executive protection programs.

Eric Clay, current president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) discussed the shooting in a LinkedIn post:

While we don’t yet have a motive for this senseless act, the fact that it has been called targeted, suggests it could be related to the victims role as CEO of the insurance arm of the largest healthcare company in the world.

As healthcare security professionals, we know that many see healthcare as a target for their anger. Family members who have lost a loved one may feel as though a physician, healthcare facility, or insurer is responsible for that loss.

This, coupled with the fact that todays CEO’s and other executives have higher profiles than ever before, and internet searches make it far easier to gather information on them, requires a greater focus on personal security.

About the Author

Brent Dirks is senior editor for Security Today and Campus Security Today magazines.

Featured

Featured Cybersecurity

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction. 3

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge. 3