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Wife of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson says her husband had been receiving ‘some threats’ prior to fatal shooting

By
Isabel Keane
Published Dec. 4, 2024, 12:03 p.m. ET

The wife of slain health insurance CEO Brian Thompson said Wednesday that her husband had been getting threats before he was gunned down in Midtown Manhattan.

“There had been some threats,” Paulette Thompson told NBC News in her first comments since her husband was murdered early Wednesday.

“Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage?” she said, referring to her 50-year-old husband’s role as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s insurance division.

Brian Thompson and Paulette Thompson posing with family in a photo from May 31, 2010
Thompson with his wife and family. Facebook / Paulette Reveiz
Paulette Thompson in a photo posted to instagram on July 25, 2019.
Paulette Thompson in a photo posted to Instagram on July 25, 2019. Instagram / Jess Lamppa-Score
Thompson's wife seen in an undated photo.
Thompson’s wife in an undated photo. Facebook / Paulette Thompson
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealth Group
The suspect was last seen entering Central Park, according to officials.
The suspect was last seen entering Central Park, according to officials.
An image of the suspect.
The suspect in a surveillance photo. Obtained by NY Post
The killer escaped on a bicycle.
The killer escaped on a bicycle. NYPD/AFP via Getty Images
Thompson receiving CPR after getting shot.
Thompson receiving CPR after getting shot. WNYW/Fox 5
The street outside of the Hilton closed during the police investigation.
The street outside of the Hilton closed during the police investigation. Matthew McDermott
NYPD investigators at the murder scene.
NYPD investigators at the murder scene. Matthew McDermott
NYPD officers placing a marker down next to a bullet.
NYPD officers placing a marker down next to a bullet. Matthew McDermott

“I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him,” she told NBC News by phone.

“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children,” she said, confirming that police had told her it is believed to have been a “targeted attack.”

Follow the latest on the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson:

Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the chest early Wednesday by a masked man who was waiting for him outside the Hilton hotel as he headed to a conference.

He was rushed in critical condition to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

No arrests have been made. Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information.