On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, was assassinated by Luigi Mangione as he walked into the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York. Mangione left a manuscript outlining his anger at United Healthcare for his perceived failures of the insurance company to address his health issues.

On July 28, 2025, Shane Tamura arrived at 345 Park Ave., Mid-Town Manhattan, New York, and opened fire with his PA-15 rifle, killing Didarul Islam, an off-duty police officer working security in the lobby of the building. Tamura then killed three more people before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide on the 33rd floor. Tamura left a manuscript letter indicating he blamed the NFL for his perceived chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) for taking headshots while playing high school football. An examination of Tamura’s history indicated he had two psychiatric holds in Nevada in 2022 & 2024.

Unfortunately, these two recent examples of targeted violence mirror many other like incidents in the last three years. The question is, can these horrible incidents be prevented?

Prevention is based on convergence of technology with human response. Intelligent analytical cameras that can recognize aberrant behaviors can be programed to notify a trained security officer of an impending threat.

Trained security officers should be in a secluded command post and not stationed in the lobby of a building. This enables the officer to identify the threat and to notify other security personnel to intervene until first responders can arrive on scene.

The monitoring officer should be able to lock down doors and entry points to minimize danger to life.

In the matter of executive protection, highly trained and armed agents should accompany “C” level personnel and provide protection at the home as well as the office and any travel destinations.

Companies should hire experienced security professionals to conduct a security risk vulnerability assessment to identify threats and develop strategies to mitigate the identified risks. The risk assessment should also contain an emergency response plan that all employees are trained in on how to react in the event a threatening situation occurs.

All employees should be trained in security awareness and how to respond to an active shooter incident. The training should incorporate the concept of run, hide, fight.

Lastly, as AI becomes more prevalent, the security industry will become more engaged with technology for solutions, minimizing the human element.