The events surrounding the assassination of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson are tragic, a lone assassin waits for hours outside of a hotel in downtown Manhattan then causally approaches Brian Thompson from behind and fires three shots killing Brian Thompson. The Police have labeled this as a “targeted attack”.

As a Personal Protection Specialist (Executive Protection Agent) who has provide close personal protection to CEO’s, at risk clients, and VIP’s for the past 16 year, I have hard time understanding why a company with revenues of 281.4 billion dollars and CEO salary of 10.2 million did not have a security detail assigned to Mr. Thompson and his family.

What has been reported:

• Threats had been made in the past to Mr. Thompson and his family
• The assassin was seen waiting for hours outside the hotel
• Casings were found at the seen with the words, Deny, Delay, Defend (a potential reference to a book written by Jay M Feinman, exposing insurance injustice, delay of payment, denying payment, and defend their action by litigation)
• The assassin wore black clothing and face covering.
• The assassin fled on foot and later acquired a bicycle to further his escape

What Executive Protection Agents would have done to prevent, deter and protect Mr. Thompson:

• A Threat assessment would have performed for the CEO and his family.
• An intensive investigation of past and current threats would have been completed
• A protection detail would have been assigned to both the CEO and the family.
• The Advance team would have investigated and interviewed anyone seen loitering in the area of the hotel.
• The assassin knew of the CEO’s arrival and location, how and why was this information made public or was leaked.
• A call to local police to investigate the person wearing black clothing with a face covering, could have potentially ended in a search or pat-down in which the handgun would have been discovered.
• Hotels have multiple entrances, it is not uncommon for a security detail to use an alternative entrance, lesser known to the general public, especially when a threat has been established.
• Agents would have not allowed the CEO to exit the vehicle without first confirming safe passage to the entrance by himself.
• Agents would have been positioned in front and behind the CEO

No Guarantees:

There are no guarantees that a security detail could have prevented the assassination of Mr. Thompson, but the risk would have been greatly reduced. Multi-million- or billion-dollar corporations should include some level of personal protection security for their management leadership when traveling or conducting business outside of the office. Executive Protection Agents specialize in providing a professional level of personal protection so that corporate leaders can conduct their business in a safe and secure environment.