NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #4

[ChrisM]

I like that, EXCEPT, he had two weeks plus of prep in NYC, and he seems to have advance-positioned the e-bike. Let’s put our hypothetical bad guy hats on for a minute. If you had the foresight to stash the e-bike, would you have the Jason Bourne-type foresight to drop, oh, 10, or 20, or 50 identical backpacks in wooded areas around the CP carousel, filling them with all kinds of random crap that would give profilers fits? This leads me to the hypothesis that this shooter had training but not a lot of cash. The hostel thing - this was an assassin on a budget. My $0.02.

but does that align with using a nearly $6000 gun? idk, i think the hostel was intentionally chosen as opposed to financially decided

 

[eddie_van]

Love your post!

Here are a couple but they might run afoul of the rules as they point suspicion to possibly innocent people/scenarios.

1) Remember Andrew Cunanan? I don't think anyone to this day knows whether he was connected to Lee Miglin or Versace. However, this would account for his youth, his looks, and his expensive clothing/equipment. And his grudge. And his knowledge of where and when to find BT. And perhaps his worldly-wisdom.

2) College-age buddy of a person who stands to inherit. This would account for his youth, his expensive clothing/equipment, and his knowledge of where to find BT. But not his confidence/swagger.

3) Spurned mistress' son. This actually happened in KC to a rich real-estate guy. It was maybe 15 to 18 years back and I can't find a link. But a rich real-estate guy dumped his mistress and her teenage son kept coming back to his rich house to steal. He had a grudge because the dumping of his mother meant his standard of living went kaput. Eventually he broke in and killed the rich guy.

I just think the words written on the bullet casings seem a little too on the nose, and could be red herrings.

the simplest explanation is that he is someone who hates UnitedHealthcare, and for-profit health insurance companies in general. there is no reason to suspect anything else, other than the pleasure of theorizing random stuff on the internet.

 

[MassGuy]

…and here I was - leaning much more toward “personal/unknown” as a motive. Something either happened to him/close loved one, which adversely impacted him/close loved ones - to the point of no return. Very sad. If It wasn’t a robbery and it wasn’t a general hatred for the industry and firm, than it was a personal vendetta carefully targeted, focused, planned and executed by the killer. Live…and learn.

If you're going to commit a crime this brazen and risky, I think there's just got to be a strong emotional reason for doing so. It's got to be incredibly important to you, and those intense feelings override the risk. You've got to be incredibly committed, which his behavior indicates he was. This was one big pain in the (time, inconvenience, money, etc).

That being said, that emotion doesn't appear to extend to the murder itself. It seemed to be calm and methodical. That's why I don't think it was personal between he and BT.

That and the words on those rounds, which I do not believe to be some sort of decoy.

 

[clearskies1]

Fox5 NY just showed photos of a brown paper bag that was said to have clothes in it with a police officer guarding it. Might not be related but they appear to be looking into it.

ETA: Added pics from my TV as realised I can rewind!

Interesting. Kind of looks similar to where they found the backpack. I think they said the backpack was located between two rocks.

 

[darkstar105]

(DBM) I believe this killer may have access to that kind of money and that breed of network, the kind where you can make anything happen, including making a killer vanish.

But they didn't count on Sandra Oh!

But seriously, if they were that sophisticated, I think they would have drone-attacked or slipped him some Putin juice, that sort of thing. Blown up his car? Helped him fall out a window? Then hacked the UHC website and put their manifesto on the front page. Also they may have had a nondescript black car waiting to pick him up and whisk him away.

 

[krikken]

Maybe because this crime does not feel American? Maybe the shooter is not American, that's why it feels off.

Could be a dual citizen with limited social connections and digital trail as an adult on this side of the pond. Was any info ever revealed about the interaction with the hostel staffer? Accent, etc. My first gut instinct was that the hostel stills seem consistent with North African background.

 

[darkstar105]

(DBM) The drama wouldn’t measure up if done in Minnesota.

The Coen Brothers would like a word!

 

[crhedBngr]

Fox5 NY just showed photos of a brown paper bag that was said to have clothes in it with a police officer guarding it. Might not be related but they appear to be looking into it.

ETA: Added pics from my TV as realised I can rewind!

Looks like a denim jacket in the T.J. Maxx bag. New bag; possibly not exposed to the elements.

Has it been snowing or raining in NYC over the past few days?

JMVHO.

 

[MassGuy]

​

A few important points here:

Investigators are treating a backpack found in New York City’s Central Park like a dead body, being very careful not to damage any potential evidence, a law enforcement official told CNN.

The backpack was removed by an excavator along with any physical material found surrounding it, the source said. No officers picked it up, because there may be some DNA evidence tied to the backpack or even the dirt on the ground surrounding it.

“Their instructions were, ‘if you find it, freeze the location, do not touch it. Wait for the detectives, wait for the crime scene unit and let them package this up,’” CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller told Anderson Cooper on Friday.

“This is one of these things where even touching it or going through it with rubber gloves, you can smudge prints, move DNA, contaminate it with your own material,” Miller said.
-The mandate is to continue to build a video timeline of every day the suspect was in the city, the source said.

-Investigators appear to be homing in on the possible identity of the suspect, two people briefed on the investigation said, but are still working to verify the information and are not yet certain they know his identity.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/07/us/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-gunman-search-saturday/index.html

 

[getthefax]

I think that makes the anti-capitalism angle far less likely. I kind of liked that one before we got more information (it was broad), but I think it's all come into a bit more focus. I think it's also more specific than some hatred for the health insurance industry a whole, and more focused on this particular company.

I don't think it goes as far as a specific hatred of this guy though. Likely more symbolic in my mind.

I think it could also point to his being a foreigner, honestly. These things seem expensive here, but… “expensive” is relative depending on the economy in which one lives.

It will be interesting if we ever learn his motive… I sure hope we get one.

 

[eddie_van]

​

A few important points here:

Investigators are treating a backpack found in New York City’s Central Park like a dead body, being very careful not to damage any potential evidence, a law enforcement official told CNN.

The backpack was removed by an excavator along with any physical material found surrounding it, the source said. No officers picked it up, because there may be some DNA evidence tied to the backpack or even the dirt on the ground surrounding it.

“Their instructions were, ‘if you find it, freeze the location, do not touch it. Wait for the detectives, wait for the crime scene unit and let them package this up,’” CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller told Anderson Cooper on Friday.

“This is one of these things where even touching it or going through it with rubber gloves, you can smudge prints, move DNA, contaminate it with your own material,” Miller said.
-The mandate is to continue to build a video timeline of every day the suspect was in the city, the source said.

-Investigators appear to be homing in on the possible identity of the suspect, two people briefed on the investigation said, but are still working to verify the information and are not yet certain they know his identity.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/07/us/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-gunman-search-saturday/index.html

"appear to be homing in on the possible identity of the suspect" sounds so wishy washy and meaningless lol. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[darkstar105]

(DBM) He had his hands down calmly and comfortably and was smiling like he just won the lottery!

If I looked that good I wouldn't be able to resist showing off! I'm not a stan for this murderer but dude had a movie-star face in that one pic.

 

[darkstar105]

Is anyone else thinking of Eric Rudolph, who was the Atlanta Olympic Park bomber, and also blew up an abortion clinic and then hid out in a forest for FIVE YEARS? However, authorities knew almost from the beginning that he was the culprit. This reminds me of that.

Almost from the beginning? They pinned it on Richard Jewell!
Also...Rudolph the Redneck had help hiding out. A lot of people reportedly knew exactly where he was and may have even put him up.

 

[whitelilac]

If I looked that good I wouldn't be able to resist showing off! I'm not a stan for this murderer but dude had a movie-star face in that one pic.

At the same time I suspect the girl had a movie star face that resulted in this guy's face being all over the news.

 

[MassGuy]

"appear to be homing in on the possible identity of the suspect" sounds so wishy washy and meaningless lol. I'll believe it when I see it.

If it was from anyone other than John Miller, I'd be skeptical. I'd bet there has never been a more connected analyst in history, on account of the fact that he worked high ranking positions for the LAPD and NYPD, as well as public affairs for the FBI.

If there's ever a major national case, he's the one who knows everything, and is breaking everything. And this one is on his own turf. It's coming from his sources, and not some release by law enforcement.

 

[CrimeSlog]

I truly think the fact that it was directly before the Investor's Conference is key. I feel like the killer obviously stalked BT's movements/schedule or paid specific attention to when this particular meeting was going to occur in order to make the travel arrangements for his plan. They both arrived in NYC prior to the day of the meeting. With the planning that took place and IF he had some way of tracking BT's movements either by inside info or surveilling him, then why not make the hit on Monday as he arrived, or Tuesday as he dined? Why on the way to this meeting?

I find myself wondering what exactly was on the agenda for that meeting...was there anything that he may have been going to announce that someone would want to go to great lengths to prevent? Or was it to silence him before any further progress was made in the DOJ investigations? I go back and forth between a few theories:

1. A seriously psychotic and angry member who has solely blamed the CEO for all of their issues with UHC or healthcare companies in general (and trust me some of the providers are just as crazy and threatening in their written and verbal communications to the employees of the health insurance companies and there's one in particular that came to my mind immediately when this happened)
2. A person acting on behalf of the angry investors who sued UHC (Fireman's fund?)
3. Something much deeper involving people MUCH more influential than a person who has only been the CEO of this company for 3 years. The problems of the healthcare industry do not begin or end with BT. He did not create the structure for the way health insurance works. The fact that he and other senior execs sold stock in Feb prior to the DOJ Antitrust investigation going public AND the cyberware/ransomware attack was in February leads me down this type of path because what are the odds all of this happened around the same time? Maybe the cyber attack was less about acquiring members' personal information and was instead more about gaining access to UHC financial data, or communications amongst the execs to use against UHC in order to negotiate larger dollar amounts on the ransom? Maybe that situation was never truly resolved and is still ongoing behind the scenes? What if the "hackers" are involved and UHC didn't play ball according to their rules and they chose to do this to send a message?

I don't feel that if he had been killed while in MN, that it would have created as much SHOCK AND AWE as the way it went down in the middle of NYC. I think the killer is proud of what he did and wants to take credit for this act he perceives as brave and ESPECIALLY after he has undoubtedly scoured the millions of comments out on any social media post you click on hailing him as some kind of hero for all the American people who hate insurance and feel scammed by it.

If it turns out to be a member, I will be extremely curious as to what type of plan they had. Chances are higher than not, that their plan was only being administered by UHC and UHC was not in charge of the coverage but was possibly an employer plan or government plan. In that case, the anger is completely misdirected and he targeted BT for all the wrong reasons.

 

[MassGuy]

Almost from the beginning? They pinned it on Richard Jewell!
Also...Rudolph the Redneck had help hiding out. A lot of people reportedly knew exactly where he was and may have even put him up.

He had the benefit of his militia buddies helping him hide too.

 

[snarast]

i don't think he's doing too much to indicate he's slow on the uptake. respectfully, i also think the clock has run out on his being caught "in no time at all". so far i think he's winning the game. i may be wrong but as i read various news websites, rather than seeing substatively new information, i'm sensing a rehash of previously understood/ acknowledged info written (seemingly) to convey progress, where maybe little has been made. for instance 3 hrs ago dailymail - "possibility that the assassin used a veterinary gun" - as "breaking" news yet this has been known for almost three days. nytimes, of finding a knapsack (of which nothing is yet confirmed) - "They’re not even opening it — it’s going straight to the lab” for forensic analysis"... which conveys both an urgency and an implication of unusually quick action, yet it's somewhat meaningless to find a knapsack in a park without addition correlating information; shouldn't they have opened it to see if the "heavy object" was the gun? or battery? or to even confirm it was related, or the "everyday" type he wore. (maybe they did confirm, though not in anything i've resd yet?) and if he'd made it this far through his plan does it seem logical that he'd leave give-away clues or evidence in a knapsack that he clearly had time to inspect/ clear before giving away clues? no one expected that the knapsack wouldn't quickly be found after it was abandoned but he seems to have had some time to chose where and when to do so. so whatever is found in it i'm suspecting has already been at least vetted for connection to his identity.
it seems nypd has made initially a great deal of progress from surveillance devices to track his movements and i don't think they can be criticized; but other than additional sightings - the more video you scan the more sightings you'll expect to find. from what i'm reading, they don't have a name nor a location nor a clear motive. so the tracking seems the be the sum total of their progress. on the other hand the perp has managed 10 days in the city with only a single partial face image being exposed, obtained himself an ebike, set up an ambush, killed his target, left the scene, left the city, aroused enormous interest, media coverage and investigative resources, yet unless it's being withheld, we haven't a clue who he is, where he is or why he's done this. in my opinion (obviously i'm not alone) this is a fascinating incident though one which, unless he's caught and provides details, i don't feel we'll get many more answers... i hope i'm wrong.

Mhm. Exactly. I hope so, is what I said - not that I believe that to be the case. Unfortunately I agree with you and I hope we’re dead wrong.

 

[MesquiteO21]

If I looked that good I wouldn't be able to resist showing off! I'm not a stan for this murderer but dude had a movie-star face in that one pic.

It also seems like he’s young enough to still be giddy about being flirted with so I think that also accounts for the huge grin jmo

 

[JennieM]

Another Minnesota-based health insurer closes main campus​

Another health insurer based in Minnesota has closed its main campus after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in New York City on Wednesday.

While police have not established a motive for Wednesday's attack, Medica said in a statement reported by local media: "Although we have received no specific threats related to our campuses, our office buildings will be temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution.

The health insurer added: "Like other insurers, Medica also has removed from our website the bios of its executives, for the same precautionary reasons."

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