NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #2

[Ray_of_hope]

I wish every murder in the US was investigated this well; not just the very wealthy. Just my 2cents.

 

[bossman]

This one?

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196235/welrod-mark-iia-silenced-pistol/

Forgotten Weapons: The Spy Pistol Used to Resist Nazi Occupation

Equipped with an effective silencer and easily taken apart to hide its true purpose, the Welrod was the perfect pistol for resistance operatives in Nazi-occupied Europe.

www.popularmechanics.com

View attachment 549360

Yes

 

[Sunshynn]

Yesterday it was stated that UHG always holds their investor meetings at this particular Hilton.

That makes sense. Thank you.

 

[getthefax]

To answer my own question about the investors conference location being made public or not.

Here is the press release for the conference posted on 11.26.24

UnitedHealth Group to Host 2024 Investor Conference

UnitedHealth Group will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

It says New York but does not list a location.

They would have mailed or emailed out invitations to folks who had invested, or who they hoped would invest.

But after the cyberattack, for which this company paid $22million in bitcoin as ransom, no info at all about this company could be understood to be secret anymore.

Source: UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack that’s crippled health care • Missouri Independent.

 

[Elliot_Alderson]

So, let me get this straight ~ the gunman went to the assassination prepared to very likely having to go to war with a security detail (possibly numbering ten people !!!) ??? The gunman had no way of knowing that the CEO would take the one in a million route of opting to blow off his security detail that particular morning.

How do you know he blew off his security detail that particular morning? How do you know the frequency with which he does or does not travel with security? How do you know the gunman KNEW there'd be no security? How do you know if there were security that the gunman would absolutely deviate from his goal?

 

[Chimera]

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/united-healthcare-ceo-killed-what-happened-33cf8452?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1

The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, just a few blocks from the Hilton, was due to be lighted on Wednesday night.
By midmorning, a crowd had formed by the skating rink to watch a rehearsal for the television event. Meanwhile, a short walk away, others were gathered behind yellow tape and metal barricades, watching investigators as they picked over the crime scene.

What stands out imo is the amount of people around.
Even though the murder was earlier, still the potential was there, for the area to be even more crowded.
Quite ballsy for the perp to do it there at all.
Almost as if the killer was communicating with others as to the best area/time to do the shooting ?

Wonder what LE have gleaned from that burner phone.
Omo.

 

[Lore Listener]

That is the total compensation and includes his salary, bonuses, and stock options. We have university presidents who make close to that with their total compensation packages that include salary, annual bonuses, stock options, etc. At public universities. I am sure the salaries are much higher at the privates. So very comparable to other CEO positions it seems.

Meh... I work at a private university with a billion-dollar endowment and our chancellor makes less than a million a year. Just saying. The number of people who make 10 mil a year is pretty small!

Edit: In 2018, it was just 23,456 households. The national population that year was 326.8 million. That's an insanely small number, IMO.

 

[whitelilac]

Or did he? Was Brian Thompson in the habit of traveling without a security detail or leaving them behind at times? Had the shooter been stalking Mr. Thompson long enough to know his habits?

Given that the shooter was on the phone just prior to the shooting, it was postulated that a watcher/accomplice might have been involved. Someone who informed the shooter that Thompson was on his way.

 

[Charlot123]

Every third person in high school asked if i had indian in me.

23/me says no.

He doesn't look an Indian mix. North Iranian, Azeri, all Caucasus mountains, Turkish, maybe even Middle Eastern + European. Indian, very unlikely. High-bridged, big nose and the splay of eyebrows are telling. Could be local Greek or Italian, too. Cute face. I think he is local in that: no discerning accent, nothing standing out.

 

[SRWCF]

To answer my own question about the investors conference location being made public or not.

Here is the press release for the conference posted on 11.26.24

UnitedHealth Group to Host 2024 Investor Conference

UnitedHealth Group will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

It says New York but does not list a location.

I've been thinking that's it's entirely possible UHC holds this particular conference at the same venue in NY every year. That happens a lot with conferences such as these.

 

[Universecalling]

Yeah, I think he would just be there early as the "face" of the meeting/company. In a former life, I participated in a lot of meetings/trainings/conferences....I recall once being scolded for moving a table instead of calling facilities management to do it...they were union workers and it was against some policy for anyone else to move tables.

I'm surprised that a hit man, if that's what this was, would even recognize him - at least confidently enough to shoot him...in the BACK! I wonder if there's a chance it could be a case of mistaken identity. Because of the bullet casings/words on them, even if that was the case, the target had to be someone who was attending that meeting. But...yeah...how was he so sure he had the right guy? He's pretty ordinary looking to me.

As always, JMO.

Both, the suspect and the victim, were seen on their phones prior to the shooting.
BT’s jacket is a lighter blue than most C-suites use. Very recognizable, especially if you’re alerted to it and the street was scarce with people.

 

[adot0902]

His assistant is likely the only other person that knows the details of his daily agenda. I would bet he was exactly where he was scheduled to be. IMO

It would all depend... I work in finance, but we use probably the most popular CRM program available (customized to our organization in the 250's of the Fortune 500 so similar workings as UH). I frequently get invited (never attend) conferences and if it somehow even if I say no ends up on my calendar I can see the entire agenda. Anyone who has any type of access to my calendar can also see the full agenda. I hate CRM and it's why I don't use it, I have a whiteboard behind my desk and I'm happily waiting for my lecture about how it needs to be online and on our electronic calendars.

 

[dotr]

Well you can. His target could have been any high ranking executive, and not specifically him.

I do believe he was targeting BT specifically though.

Ita, the CO was probably the target, unless the point was to shut down the conference by shooting any one of the participants. imo, speculation.

 

[Elley Mae]

He doesn't look an Indian mix. North Iranian, Azeri, all Caucasus mountains, Turkish, maybe even Middle Eastern + European. Indian, very unlikely. High-bridged, big nose and the splay of eyebrows are telling. Could be local Greek or Italian, too. Cute face. I think he is local in that: no discerning accent, nothing standing out.

He looks like any guy down the street to me.

 

[ElizaKate]

Yes It Is Called Welrod Used In WW2

What's your reasoning for believing this to be the weapon used?

 

[Tippy Lynn]

That gun posted up thread didnt use the type of bullets that were used to kill him

Three spent shell casings were found at the scene along with three live rounds from a 9mm. “Deny," "defend" and "depose" were written on the live rounds and shell casings discovered at the scene.

 

[getthefax]

It’s this …

This def seems like the one.

 

[soap mama]

This was no professional hit man. He shot his leg for God's sake. The individual may be good with guns, but is not a professional.

I truly believe there had to be others involved to let the shooter know of Brian's movements.

And the murder could be for other reasons and just made to look like it's about insurance.

JMO MOO AND ALL THAT JAZZ

 

[Deleted member 349831]

Police identify rare WW2 gun as firearm used to kill Brian Thompson, sources say. Investigators believe the firearm used to kill Brian Thompson on Wednesday was a modern version of a rare World War Two gun.

Sources told the New York Post that detectives focusing on a Connecticut gun shop have zeroed in on a purchase of a B&T VP9 gun.

The model is an update on a Welrod pistol developed in the Second World War.

Detectives swooped in on the gun shop on Thursday after their investigation targeted a specific purchase, although it is not known if the person who bought the gun was the suspect in Thompson's slaying.

Hunt for assassin ramps up as FBI mobilizes with new reward issued

Thompson, 50, was gunned down in the early hours of Wednesday as he was on his way to an investor conference at the New York Hilton.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Bullets fired at UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had words written on them, officials say

"Deny," "defend" and "depose" were written on shell casings recovered at the scene of the shooting that killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday.

www.cbsnews.com

<snipped & BBM>
The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" appeared on shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting in New York City, according to law enforcement officials. The officials said they are examining whether the words relate to a possible motive involving insurance companies and their responses to claims. ABC News first reported this information.

A source briefed on the investigation said each word was meticulously written, not etched, onto the casings in Sharpie. Officials are examining the casings to determine whether the words could be related to a possible motive involving insurance companies and their responses to claims.

[...]

Police executed a search warrant Wednesday night at a building on the Upper West Side that the suspect had entered earlier in the day, wearing the backpack seen in video of the shooting, according to NYPD officials. The building they searched is in the same area as the Manhattan Valley hostel and the Frederick Douglass Housing Project, where the suspect was seen by surveillance cameras at 5 a.m. the day of the shooting. When the police department initially mentioned the gunman's proximity to the Frederick Douglass houses, they said they were seeking a warrant for a building in the area at which officers believe the suspect stayed overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. It was unclear if the surveillance tape that showed the suspect near the housing development before the shooting also showed him entering a building in the area.