Wife of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO says he had been receiving 'threats'



The wife of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — who was fatally shot outside a Manhattan hotel Wednesday morning in a "brazen" and "premeditated, preplanned targeted attack," according to police — said he had been receiving "threats."

Paulette Thompson told NBC News in a phone call that "there had been some threats. Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him."

'The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again.'

She added to NBC News that police told her it appeared that the shooting was "a planned attack."

The New York Post, which cited NBC News, reported that Paulette Thompson also said, “I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out, and I’m trying to console my children."

What else do we know?

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference that Thompson was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the right calf and that that the suspect was "lying in wait for several minutes," NBC News reported.

"Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target," Tisch added, according the news network.

Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said the suspect arrived at the scene about five minutes before the shooting and fired a shot at Thompson’s back, NBC News noted.

"The shooter then walks toward the victim and continues to shoot. It appears that the gun malfunctions as he clears the jam and begins to fire again," Kenny added, according to the news network.

Three live 9mm rounds and three discharged 9mm shell casings were found at the scene, NBC News said, adding the police recovered a cell phone near the scene.

"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 added to reporters, the news network said. "But at this point, we do not know why."

Kenny also said Thompson appeared unaware that he was in any danger and had no security detail around him, according to the New York Times, which also reported that a law enforcement official said surveillance video captured the shooting and that it shows the gunman alone when he fired at Thompson.

The suspect was described as a white male wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black sneakers with a white trim, and a gray backpack who was using a gun with a silencer, an individual familiar with the matter told CNBC.

Tisch said the shooter fled the scene on foot and then on a New York Citi Bike and was last seen in Central Park, NBC News reported. Police said no arrests have been made, the news network noted, adding that Crime Stoppers was offering a $10,000 reward for information.

You can view WNYW's video report here about the fatal shooting, which includes surveillance images of the suspected gunman and the update from police.

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Scary, shirtless thug caught on video trying to sexually assault vape shop worker near midnight — but she bravely fights back



A terrifying scene was recorded on surveillance video earlier this month as a shirtless male posing as a customer at a Florida vape shop tried to sexually assault a woman working behind the counter around midnight.

The brave woman not only fought back, but also she appeared on camera for a WTVJ-TV report on the incident to encourage other females who go through what she endured to speak up and speak out without shame.

'I want every girl to know what happened to me, so that if they ever go through something like that, they are able to speak up and just know that it's not their fault.'

The male entered the Miami Springs shop around midnight Nov. 9, near closing time, and the station said he appeared friendly at first, asking the female clerk questions.

But soon surveillance video caught the moment when the shirtless male very slowly walked around the counter opening and toward the woman behind the counter; she backed away.

He then grabbed both of her wrists and began walking backward, dragging her away from the counter. She resisted as best she could and begged him, "Please get away, sir!"

But the male was significantly taller and stronger, and WTVJ said he dragged her into a back room and put a shirt over her face.

"He was trying, once again, like I said, touching my [expletive], trying to pull my pants off, and I was just asking him not to do it, please not to do anything to me, and fighting back," the woman told the station in the aftermath.

Her fighting back included a moment when she grabbed a toilet plunger and began beating him with it, as her screaming grew louder.

The attack ended back in the main part of the store, video shows, where the male is seen letting the woman go and fleeing from the store.

"The only thing I had in my head, once again, was that I didn't want to ... get raped," the woman told WTVJ. "I just wanted to try to save myself as much as I could."

The station noted that anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

"I want every girl to know what happened to me, so that if they ever go through something like that, they are able to speak up and just know that it's not their fault," the woman added to WTVJ. "It’s not your fault that you have to go through something like that and that there's people like him out there."

You can view a video report here about the attack.

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Thug swings '5-foot-long tree branch' like baseball bat, bashing man in back of head in horrific, unprovoked attack



An unidentified male took a swing with a "5-foot-long tree branch" like it was a baseball bat, bashing a man in the back of his head in a horrific, unprovoked attack in Dallas over the weekend. You can view surveillance video of the attack here.

The victim, Adam Mercado, and his girlfriend, Taylor Monnet, were in downtown Dallas early Saturday morning and decided to meet friends at City Tavern, KXAS-TV reported.

'I always have my guard up; make sure you keep your head on a swivel — because for 10 seconds, I let my guard down, and this happened.'

“As we were walking up, I noticed a gentleman holding a big stick, kind of looking like a spear,” Mercado told KXAS. “And initially, my senses were going crazy, my intuition was going crazy, so I said, 'You know what, let’s go inside and get a drink.'”

Around 2 a.m., the couple decided to leave and were on the patio outside the tavern when the attack happened, the station said.

“And that’s when I felt it,” Mercado recounted to KXAS. “The sound was loud enough to almost be a gunshot. That’s what scared me.”

Video shows the male walking through the patio and stopping behind Mercado when he took a swing with the stick — which Mercado called a "5-foot-long tree branch" in a YouTube video description. A piece of the stick broke off when the male hit Mercado in the back of his head, after which Mercado fell to the ground.

Video also shows the attacker punching another man — a City Tavern employee, KXAS said — who came over in an apparent attempt to intervene, knocking him to the ground before the suspect took off. Dallas police told the station investigators had not yet identified the suspect.

Monnet is seen on the clip trying to get assistance for her boyfriend, telling KXAS that she was "running into the bar, and I’m screaming, just begging for help from anyone.”

The couple told the station that they turned down an ambulance ride due to the possible financial cost. “Eventually went to the hospital a few hours later because my head, my ears, everything was ringing, I was sore,” Mercado recalled to KXAS. “And I knew that I had to get checked out.”

The station said Mercado was diagnosed with a concussion, after which he experienced lingering pain and brain fog — along with fears about leaving their apartment in the wake of the attack.

“It’s just been really traumatic, you know, I’ve never had any type of violence done unto me,” he told KXAS. “Very surreal.”

Due to his expectation of a large hospital bill after a number of scans, and because he can't work for a little while, WFAA-TV said Mercado set up a GoFundMe page to help defray costs.

He added a warning to others who are out and about like he was, WFAA noted: "I always have my guard up; make sure you keep your head on a swivel — because for 10 seconds, I let my guard down, and this happened."

You can view video of an interview with Mercado and Monnet here.

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Thug reportedly hits 25-year-old woman over the head with baseball bat in random attack on NYC street



New York City police are looking for a male who reportedly hit a 25-year-old woman over the head with a baseball bat in a random attack earlier this month.

What are the details?

Detectives told WABC-TV the male struck the woman as she walked along 7th Avenue in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea. The attack took place just after 10 p.m. Feb. 8, WCBS-TV reported.

It appears the attack was unprovoked, WABC said, adding that the woman suffered a gash on her head as well as some bruising.

The suspect was last seen wearing a black jacket, gray pants, a blue knit hat, and gray sneakers, WABC added.

How are people reacting?

A number of commenters sounded off under the New York Daily News' Facebook post about the attack:

  • "Every darn day and multiple times a day in NYC!!!" one commenter wrote.
  • "This is one of the reasons why I believe in the Second Amendment," another user declared.
  • "... They just know the elected officials are soft on crime and won’t do anything," another commenter stated. "That is why I’m changing my vote; no more for a group that does nothing but let these nuts go free."
  • "Is something in the water?????" another user wondered. "All this is not mental illness; this is a society of adults who were led to believe for every action, good or bad, there is no action."
  • "Jeez throw hot coffee on his face or karate chop that punk!!!!!!!" another commenter exclaimed.
  • "Keep voting [Democrat] tho," another user mocked. "[Former New York City Mayor] Rudy [Giuliani] kept the streets safer."
  • "That’s why I’m no longer voting Democratic," another commenter said.
  • "Capture. Convict. Execute," another user wrote.

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Hammer-wielding shoplifter bashes head of 70-year-old laundromat worker who tries to stop theft. Crook apparently needed some free bleach.



Surveillance video caught the moments a shoplifter repeatedly used a hammer to hit the head of a 70-year-old Brooklyn laundromat worker who attempted to stop the early-morning theft last week.

What are the details?

The suspect entered the Aqua Wash laundromat on East 98th Street near Livonia Avenue in the New York City borough's Brownsville neighborhood just before 5 a.m. Thursday, police told the New York Post.

Video released late Tuesday shows the suspect heading to the back of the store where police said he grabbed some items — among them apparently a few bottles of bleach — without paying for them, the paper said.

Then the laundromat worker tried to stop the theft, grabbing the suspect and holding on to him even after the suspect grabbed a hammer — which belonged to the store — and repeatedly bashed the worker in the head with it.

The Post said the suspect hit the laundromat worker about four times in the head, dragging the elderly man across the floor before they both fell down.

Video shows the suspect dropped items he was attempting to steal, but he apparently took off with the hammer.

What happened to the worker?

The paper said emergency services treated the laundromat worker at the scene for cuts on his head.

Police are still looking for the suspect who was last seen wearing a light green shirt, dark red shorts, and a yellow cap, the Post said.

Elderly man attacked with hammeryoutu.be

How are folks reacting?

Twitter commenters reacted rather pointedly and sarcastically to the news of the violent attack:

  • "We need common-sense hammer control," one commenter quipped. "3-day waiting period to buy hammers."
  • "Just gonna say it," another user wrote. "If you don't own the place (and even maybe if), just let them walk away. Obviously these thugs don't care if you're elderly."
  • "As New Yorkers, we all know bleach prices are exorbitant, especially at bodegas where it's $7," another commenter observed. "That prospective carpenter isn't in the wrong; circumstances forced his hand. We're all entitled to bleach; it should be free."
  • "This is normal; nothing to see here," another user chirped. "Let’s fix the climate instead."