NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #3

[getthefax]

Thanks. The media doesn’t help because they will just use salacious framing like “he made $5M a year!” The reality of executive comp is if course he makes way more than the rest of us, but a much smaller percentage shows up as cash in his actual paycheck. A lot of the rest is tied to future performance, sometimes many years out. If he gets fired for cause along the way - an insider trading scandal would do it - that can go away. My understanding is that she has a “normal” job so her lifestyle is largely tied to his continued success. She’s only 50 and the boys are young. Couldn’t the threat of losing that lifestyle be a motivator? Again, just a little speculation over coffee. As wild as this story is it’s still a murder and the odds are he knew the person who wanted him dead. Who knows him better than the mother of his kids?

It absolutely could have been. Also, all the current assets may not be liquid, they may be in a trust… and she may have been unable to have free access.
There is also the impending DOJ investigation for insider trading to be dealt with— he and two executives sold $101million in stock 2 weeks before antitrust litigation was to begin… who knows how much that would have dented his net worth.

This angle has to be considered, for sure.

 

[Inthedetails]

just look at the NYC subway map. BUT, it's tricky bc at first glance it looks the the F station the perp emerged from could have been direct from the UWS, it's not.

No, the F doesn't go to the UWS but it connects with UWS trains at Rockefeller Center. I think he either switched there.....or was simply in the F train station because it was cold that morning. It's a place to get out of the cold while waiting for a call/text or for time to pass. IDK if he necessarily was on the train or just at the station ykwim?

jmo

 

[JennieM]

Police say B&T Station SIX gun used in fatal shooting

More now on the latest in the investigation.

According to the BBC's US partner, CBS News, police believe a B&T Station SIX gun was used to carry out the shooting.

The firearm is a modern version of the British Welrod spy pistol used during World War Two. The manufacturer promotes its "non-descript appearance, whisper-quiet sound signature and unique rotating bolt operation".

Investigators have been visiting gun dealers in Connecticut looking for the place where it was purchased. It's unclear why the state has become a focus.

We previously reported that a silencer was used in the shooting. Police also say the gunman appeared to be familiar with weapons handling.

Live updates: Backpack found as NY health boss shooting suspect search expands to Georgia

NYPD says the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan was "a brazen, targeted attack".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tealgrove]

This is an interesting read. The original Welrod harkens back to WWII and was used in clandestine espionage operations.

We have a killer who wrote “messages” on the bullets/casings. A killer who used a gun that is out of the realm of what we typically see used. No question this was targeted. This was a “covert operation”. Is this guy living out a fantasy of sorts? This has all the earmarks of a wannabe assassin playing out a scenario of days gone by.

B&T Station SIX Pistols Pay Homage to WWII Welrod - Shooting Industry Magazine

Codenamed the B&T Station SIX-9 (9mm) and Station SIX-45 (.45 ACP), the new integrally-suppressed, bolt-action, magazine-fed pistols trace their roots back to the SOE Welrod of WWII and the more modern Veterinary Pistol 9mm.

shootingindustry.com

 

[JennieM]

Who was Brian Thompson?
Brian Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest private insurer in the US.

He first joined the company in 2004 as director of corporate development and rose through the ranks to become the head of the company in April 2021.

He earned $10.2m (£8m) working for the company last year, up from $9.8m in 2022 and $9.6m in 2021.

Thompson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting.

Before joining UnitedHealthcare, Thompson worked at PwC.

The 50-year-old was married to Paulette Thompson, had two sons and lived in Maple Grove, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Live updates: Backpack found as NY health boss shooting suspect search expands to Georgia

NYPD says the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan was "a brazen, targeted attack".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

Your analysis is excellent !!! Like you, I am intimately familiar with the subways and how long it could take to get from point A to point B in Manhattan. I also was considering writing up a post talking about how the gunman was able to get from West 103rd street to the 57th street subway station on the F line in no longer than 60 minutes (the gunman wanted to be at the venue plenty early.)

As you, someone intimately familiar with the subway may know, the only way to go from West 103rd street to the 57th street station of the F line is by taking two subway trains: the first train is to take the B line from the West 103rd street subway station and then changing trains at the 50 street station for the F line train. What the gunman surely/probably did not know (I am assuming for the moment that the gunman is not a Manhattanite) is that at 5am, one could be stuck waiting a surprisingly longish amount of time waititing for the slow poke B and F trains to arrive. That being said, even with the extra waiting times, its entirely possible that the gunman could make that subway journey in the 60 minute time slot he alloted himself.

I'm also familiar with the subways and that neighborhood and I wouldn't even bother transferring to the F train to get to the murder scene. It's so close to Rock Ctr that I would get out there and walk. Especially so for a young, fit guy who likely had adrenalin pumping. It would be faster to walk from Rockefeller Ctr than go to the uptown side and wait for another train to take it 1 short stop.

I am leaning toward him being in the F train station but not necessarily on the train. I'm not even sure he was in the station, but the underground hallway that goes to the station - I honestly wonder if he went there just to get out of the cold for a few minutes since he had the time. Then he went to Starbucks for a similar reason.

jmopinion at the moment, subject to change as we learn more

 

[JennieM]

Excellent short video coverage about how the New York shooting unfolded. I posted this a thread or two back, but posting again as the threads are moving so fast:

What we know about fatal shooting of health executive Brian Thompson

A "person of interest" is questioned in Pennsylvania, while police try to establish the gunman's motive.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Charlot123]

Thanks. The media doesn’t help because they will just use salacious framing like “he made $5M a year!” The reality of executive comp is if course he makes way more than the rest of us, but a much smaller percentage shows up as cash in his actual paycheck. A lot of the rest is tied to future performance, sometimes many years out. If he gets fired for cause along the way - an insider trading scandal would do it - that can go away. My understanding is that she has a “normal” job so her lifestyle is largely tied to his continued success. She’s only 50 and the boys are young. Couldn’t the threat of losing that lifestyle be a motivator? Again, just a little speculation over coffee. As wild as this story is it’s still a murder and the odds are he knew the person who wanted him dead. Who knows him better than the mother of his kids?

I was thinking exactly the same, but for some reason, I don’t think it is the wife because she has to think of the kids. She might be aware of what is going on but it is hard for the children that their dad is gone and lots of things about him are out in press. She can ill afford get caught.
But there is a whole group of people that is going to go down with him as the result of the probe (now, likely, not.) They can be interested, too.

I think Atlanta is not a red herring. But when you think of Atlanta, it is either “cross the border get to Texas and from TX, to Atlanta”, or “from New Orleans to Georgia”, or something else.

When we traveled to Georgia, we flew from SeaTac to Atlanta. Rented a car. No one paid attention. Atlanta is a city where you don’t stand out, except when your tips are too big for the local traditions. Lots of deliveries were in backpacks, as I remember. I can write an essay about Atlanta, but people don’t stand out there for different reasons. Mostly, if they mind own business.

So we think, he traveled somewhere through the South but he could get a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta, for all I know. Thanksgiving week, kids out of schools. I think Atlanta is a great way to distract from the original destination.

 

[Justice101]

All we know about the bike so far, is that it was NOT one of the City bikes. Could this bike and battery be highly customized to deflect some of the obvious issues you are all mentioning????

I cannot imagine in this day and age that he could pay cash for an ebike for 2 weeks.. Is that even possible?

And if not, how could he possibly conceal his digital identity?

 

[Inthedetails]

I find it intriguing that we have a young, good-looking man with seemingly refined mannerisms, cool under pressure, attired in nice clothing, stylish backpack, unusual gun, who has the time for gun training and spending 10 days in NYC, yet traveled by Greyhound and stayed at an unstylish hostel (not knocking it, btw) and his getaway transportation was a bike.

I don't need an explanation why he chose a bus, hostel, and bike....just commenting I find it interesting in comparison to other aspects of the criminal and crime.

(At this point, I don't think it's a disgruntled family member of a patient denied service.)

jm

 

[MrsWatson]

I cannot imagine in this day and age that he could pay cash for an ebike for 2 weeks.. Is that even possible?

And if not, how could he possibly conceal his digital identity?

He could have used a prepaid credit card.

 

[schooling]

It is relatively easy to get from ATL to the Atlanta Greyhound station on public transit. Cameras, but that was long enough ago that it's unknown how long they keep the film. ATL has direct flights from 240 airports, including all 50 states and 47 countries.

https://www.directflights.com/to/ATL

MARTA

marta

www.itsmarta.com

The single busiest airport on planet earth. Or was as of last year.

 

[ElizaKate]

I cannot imagine in this day and age that he could pay cash for an ebike for 2 weeks.. Is that even possible?

And if not, how could he possibly conceal his digital identity?

Starbucks - paid in cash. The hostel stay that would have cost over $1k - paid in cash. IMO he paid for everything in cash.

 

[JennieM]

'We're on the right track,' says New York mayor

As the manhunt enters its third day, New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he believes the police will bring the alleged gunman to justice.

"We're on the right track," Adams tells a local television station.

"This person was fully masked and we used good old fashioned police work to come up with the picture you have," he adds.

The mayor is referencing the two recent pictures of the suspect released by law enforcement on Thursday, which revealed the suspect's full face for the first time.

They were captured by a surveillance camera at a New York hostel where the suspect was staying, with US media suggesting he pulled down his mask while flirting with a worker there.

Live updates: Backpack found as NY health boss shooting suspect search expands to Georgia

NYPD says the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan was "a brazen, targeted attack".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Inthedetails]

I cannot imagine in this day and age that he could pay cash for an ebike for 2 weeks.. Is that even possible?

And if not, how could he possibly conceal his digital identity?

Yes, you can pay cash. Source: my husband paid cash for his. He didn't rent, but bought. At our local bike shop, cash gets you a discount.

By law in NYC, business have to take cash. We are not a city of credit card only as there are people do not have credit cards.

jmo

 

[DS2021]

Good morning! Hopefully today is the day they get him.

 

[schooling]

I find it intriguing that we have a young, good-looking man with seemingly refined mannerisms, cool under pressure, attired in nice clothing, stylish backpack, unusual gun, who has the time for gun training and spending 10 days in NYC, yet traveled by Greyhound and stayed at an unstylish hostel (not knocking it, btw) and his getaway transportation was a bike.

I don't need an explanation why he chose a bus, hostel, and bike....just commenting I find it interesting in comparison to other aspects of the criminal and crime.

(At this point, I don't think it's a disgruntled family member of a patient denied service.)

jm

The alternative is that maybe he was an ideologue?

I find it extremely hard to believe that any professional would take the risk of doing this in midtown manhattan.

And anyone high profiled enough to afford this wouldn’t hire anyone to do this in midtown. Again, too much risk and puts your freedom on the line.

This could have been done in Minnesota at a traffic light.

MOO

 

[CrimeDawg123]

I cannot imagine in this day and age that he could pay cash for an ebike for 2 weeks.. Is that even possible?

And if not, how could he possibly conceal his digital identity?

Exactly. He had to have bought, stolen, or been given the e-bike.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

This may have already been posted, but I'd say it makes a damn good case for the motive...

Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend

 

[snarast]

I find it intriguing that we have a young, good-looking man with seemingly refined mannerisms, cool under pressure, attired in nice clothing, stylish backpack, unusual gun, who has the time for gun training and spending 10 days in NYC, yet traveled by Greyhound and stayed at an unstylish hostel (not knocking it, btw) and his getaway transportation was a bike.

I don't need an explanation why he chose a bus, hostel, and bike....just commenting I find it interesting in comparison to other aspects of the criminal and crime.

(At this point, I don't think it's a disgruntled family member of a patient denied service.)

jm

It’s clinical. Very assassination-like. No interest in seeing the victim’s face during the killing. I would have thought he could have gotten up even closer - as far as assassinations go - but then his victim was walking with a determined stride.

I wonder how he could be sure nobody would be close by, though. That seems a bit lucky.