NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #5

[nhmemorymaker]

#5 about hiring his own hit man is interesing since the Justice Dept lawsuit was just filed on Nov 8, 2024. A consideration.

yes, yesterday or friday there were many many people chiming in on how and why it could be a direction from Thompson, himself. I feel it does deserve as much credence as any other scenario right now. Nothing makes it impossible. Improbable maybe, but certainly not impossible. I think the statements about him possibly making some bombshell announcements regarding others... does enhance that as a possible motive.

 

[ElizaKate]

Re. people talking about a possible accent and American vs not.

LE definitely have an idea at this point. They would have asked these questions to both the hostel worker and the cab driver.

If the suspect had an accent that suggested he was not American then in my opinion LE would have released that at this point. They would want to be able to put the message out that this wasn't 'one of us' as soon as possible in that case.

All the evidence is pointing towards a grievance with the American healthcare system. As many others have stated - a non-American wouldn't have the same motivation.

This is an American man in his 20's-30s. If an accent exists - it's an American dialect one. JMO

 

[Angelcat13]

Someone with extensive experience with guns probably wouldn’t have hit someone in the leg…then again they wouldn’t have access to a silencer.

I wonder if it was factory loaded ammo or hand loaded. Also, have they hey said anything what the firearm malfunction was? Was it simply a jam, or was it a misfire? If he left a message on his bullets it seems like maybe he was motivated to spend the ammunition…overkill would leave more casings with his messages…just shooting the breeze here. Thanks all.

Could the leg shot have been intentional - such as to get him to turn around so he could SEE what was happening? I wouldn’t be surprised as this would seem to fit with some of his other “messages/games”.

 

[clearskies1]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
The below was updated on Dec. 6. Not sure if there is any new info on this since.

"One law enforcement official also told CNN that police believe the suspect arrived in New York City on Nov. 24.... The source said that he arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan, went to a hostel, and appeared to have moved around the city afterward.

The official told CNN the suspect checked out of the hostel on Nov. 29. Multiple law enforcement sources previously told the news organization that he checked back into the hostel the next day on Nov. 30."

Suspect in deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO traveled to New York on bus that started in Atlanta: Reports

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was killed in a shooting in New York City on Wednesday.

www.11alive.com

 

[ChetMorton]

A group looking to make money selling this stock short, needing $$ funds.
Choose a company which U think could take a big quick tumble if you eliminated the CEO. Perhaps targeting this company because of its “insider trading”

Possible with the amount of money to be made. The only question that comes to mind is has this tactic been used before and is it the most effective means in meeting the motive? Certainly hundreds of stories of people who knew too much being silenced... and dead people usually never speak.

 

[fashionella]

I think it’s to get a lay of the land. His quick moves around UWS and Central Park could be due to time spent around there for 10 days. He is comfortable in a big city but the specific streets of NYC take time to adjust to.

I agree, but why not 5 days.

 

[ElizaKate]

Putting yourself in NYC for 10 days prior to a planned assassination is a RISK. There must have been a reason why the "work" needed to do locally for the job took 10 days. There must have been something happening in the first days of his arrival that is pertinent to the job. We know he had to get an E-bike. Ok, that doesn't take 10 days. Either does rehearsing your moves or shopping for outerwear or Monopoly money. There is more to it than that.

The 10 days is a bit puzzling. Idea I've been leaning towards is if his activities spanned a longer period time then maybe he knew that it would take LE longer to piece together the clues perhaps. Extra days adds extra days and hours worth of CCTV to comb through. Maybe it's all just a delay the investigation tactic.

 

[fashionella]

I agree, but why not 5 days.

as I think about it, maybe the people who were supplying the Ebike and the gun were going to be gone Thanksgiving week. Had to secure them the week before?

 

[findlisa5]

or he picked up the Atlanta bus in/near NJ then went into the city in an attempt to throw off LE.

It’s telling that he isn’t on camera in the Atlanta bus station. Or, they haven’t found or released it yet.

I don’t think he boarded in Atlanta. IMO

This sounds right, BUT... I also heard the suspect was definitely on that northbound Greyhound bus after it stopped in Washington DC. This news from about 1-2 days ago (sorry, I have no link for that, but you can search with DC on Google for it) said police believe that he boarded the bus between Atlanta and Washington DC.

So that story, if it is correct, makes the suspect's travel more complex than just going from somewhere in NJ to NYC and back to that NJ location again. BTW, one other thing to consider is that NYPD sent an investigative team to Alanta (as per several mainstream media sources over the last day or so). Honestly, why would they do that if the suspect did go through Atlanta at least once as part of his recent travel?

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Re. people talking about a possible accent and American vs not.

LE definitely have an idea at this point. They would have asked these questions to both the hostel worker and the cab driver.

If the suspect had an accent that suggested he was not American then in my opinion LE would have released that at this point. They would want to be able to put the message out that this wasn't 'one of us' as soon as possible in that case.

All the evidence is pointing towards a grievance with the American healthcare system. As many others have stated - a non-American wouldn't have the same motivation.

This is an American man in his 20's-30s. If an accent exists - it's an American dialect one. JMO

"This is an American man in his 20's-30s."

Yes 1000%

 

[nhmemorymaker]

A gentle correction....

It was an Investor Convention. A collection of industry insiders on the forum ( the collective level of knowledge on the forum is amazing) has related that these types of meetings are far more controlled and feature the following:

- Open to current or prospective mega investors only and their support staff. Usually these are investment banks. Other guests might be fund managers and ubber high net worth individuals

- A carefully selected list of invitees. All invited people are known in advance. Nobody can walk in. Likewise, one cannot request an invitation via a pretense or out of genuine interest.

- The identity of the guests are verified via ID checks against the guest list- they dont want security threats, nor annoying protestors. Invitees are then given special badges that they show for re-entry.

thanks for the clarity...
yes, different audience than the Annual Stockholder meeting....

 

[KaylynnCouture]

This sounds right, BUT... I also heard the suspect was definitely on that northbound Greyhound bus after it stopped in Washington DC. This news from about 1-2 days ago (sorry, I have no link for that, but you can search with DC on Google for it) said police believe that he boarded the bus between Atlanta and Washington DC.

So that story, if it is correct, makes the suspect's travel more complex than just going from somewhere in NJ to NYC and back to that NJ location again. BTW, one other thing to consider is that NYPD sent an investigative team to Alanta (as per several mainstream media sources over the last day or so). Honestly, why would they do that if the suspect did go through Atlanta at least once as part of his recent travel?

That’s a good point about DC. I hadn’t heard that before.

As for Atlanta, I believe they were trying to rule out him boarding there. Looking at surveillance, interviewing Greyhound reps to see if anyone remembers seeing him, selling him a cash ticket, etc.

 

[human_Behavior]

I don’t think the Monopoly money had any deeper meaning than all UHC cares about is money.

Such a fascinating case and the anticipation of the suspect's capture is growing. Re: the Monopoly money, I wonder if there was ever some heated UHC correspondence or phone call between the suspect and UHC that raised the "monopoly money". jmo

For eg,
Suspect (in one his many calls): How can you deny these newest claims? Now I won't be able to pay for the further treatments.

UHC: Sir (or his name), for the 100th time, we're already paid the claims that your insurance covers and cannot pay more. That's it, there is no more. "Do not pass go and do not collect $200".

Suspect: What!?....is this a (expletive) game to you? Do you expect me to pay in Monopoly money?

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Could the leg shot have been intentional - such as to get him to turn around so he could SEE what was happening? I wouldn’t be surprised as this would seem to fit with some of his other “messages/games”.

Could’ve also been symbolic of an injury or disease that impacted whoever in his inner circle was victimized by UHC.

 

[Cryptic]

Nope, not Central Asian (such as Kazakh) or Siberian - there's a gradient toward more East Asian characteristics there. Could be Caucasus, Ashkenazy, Turkic peoples, and countless others in the whole region, all the way to the Azores

I agree about the gradient towards Asian features in the region. But... that gradient in gradual and "hodgepoged" from centuries of migrations, counter migrations, invasions and counter invasions.

The end result is that, as you state, the people of some countries in the area have Asian features such as Kazahstan. But... others such as Turkmenistan have Turkic based Caucasian features. Meanwhile, Tajikistan's people are part of the gradual gradient and have largely Caucasian features mixed with some individuals with usually slight Asiatic features.

All of Central Asia aside..... my bet is the murderer is a SAWG - Standard American White Guy- much like myself.

 

[Deleted member 306806]

He was put in a situation where his normal instincts got the better of him I think. I think if most guys his age were put in that situation, they'd be obliged to comply with that request. He could lower his mask and do what was socially acceptable, or he could refuse to do so and draw a bit of attention to himself.

Perhaps he's a great planner, but not very quick on his feet. He could have said he was sick or something, which would have been a legitimate excuse.

I also think he didn't believe his hostel stay would ever be discovered, so it wouldn't necessarily have overly concerned him.

I think this guy understands technology and limitations, and has planned to maximize chances of success using the best resources he had. Reactions about this crime being sloppy I think come from people used to the flash-bang miracles of TV Show and Movie criminals, who by virtual of script writing and movie-magic are given every best resource to pull off the ultimate crime or heist. I think this guy went into the knowing he would eventual get caught, but trying to get as far as he could in whatever plan he had.

There is an article in the Atlantic titled "The UnitedHealthcare Gunman Understands the Surveillance State" Unfortunately paywalled, but the headline captures the idea that helps his approach.
The UnitedHealthcare Gunman Understands the Surveillance State He has an understanding of technology and how to manipulate it that most criminals lack -

 

[clearskies1]

Sorry if this was already answered.... Was the unmasked photo at the hostel from when he re-checked in on Nov. 30? Maybe they have no video of him (masked or unmasked) at his initial check-in because that video wasn't retained beyond 7 days?

 

[Inthedetails]

I’m not answering why they deserve more attention, but I can tell you why it is getting more attention. He is the CEO of the largest healthcare company in the world. He was in NYC on business, for their annual investor’s conference. NYC is the financial capital of the US. A CEO was murdered in daylight in front of fancy hotels in a well known and traveled part of the city. Simply put, this is bad for business. Something like this can have far ranging effects on the economy if it became a trend. Additionally, maybe next year UHG will decide to no longer hold major conferences in NYC. Other companies may follow suit. All of this implicates politicians, policy, etc. as well. It is also not a great look for NYPD in the post 9/11 world. Sure I agree, it’s unfair that average individuals aren’t treated the same but this is capitalism unfortunately.

I agree. This case is taken so seriously for the reasons you listed ^^ plus the president-elect's residence is about 3 blocks away. I AM NOT suggesting this has anything to do with that, but I am saying this neighborhood's safety is top priority.

It cannot simply stand that an assassin can kill someone on 54th Street so easily.

For many reasons, this was not "just another murder."

jmopinion

 

[MassGuy]

I think this guy understands technology and limitations, and has planned to maximize chances of success using the best resources he had. Reactions about this crime being sloppy I think come from people used to the flash-bang miracles of TV Show and Movie criminals, who by virtual of script writing and movie-magic are given every best resource to pull off the ultimate crime or heist. I think this guy went into the knowing he would eventual get caught, but trying to get as far as he could in whatever plan he had.

There is an article in the Atlantic titled "The UnitedHealthcare Gunman Understands the Surveillance State" Unfortunately paywalled, but the headline captures the idea that helps his approach.
The UnitedHealthcare Gunman Understands the Surveillance State He has an understanding of technology and how to manipulate it that most criminals lack -

I agree with this. I have referred to it myself as “sloppy,” and I mean that in this sense that real life is sloppy. You can’t spend 10 days in a hostel room and not leave your DNA.

He left a water bottle and cell phone behind with DNA. There are some unverified reports that they recovered DNA from the rounds at the scene.

They apparently have a smudged fingerprint.

As far as real life goes, this is as unprecedented as it is astounding though. The lengths this guy went to are something that I’ve just never seen before.

He thought of so many things, and was ultimately successful in what he came to do. He showed remarkable discipline, and has gotten away with this longer than I ever imagined - thanks in large part to the measures he took to conceal his identity.

We’re talking about a very intelligent individual, and not the deranged, impulsive murderer we’re used to when it comes to assassinations.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Can you explain the hostel tip? I missed that.

Here is is referred to as a "clue"... but I know I had seen "tip" as well... i will try to find another reference.......

"They were having a flirtatious moment and he pulls it down and he gives a big smile and that one informal moment between two human beings remains at this moment the most significant clue to date in this whole case

NYC hostel at center of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting investigation: "The most significant clue to date"

An NYC hostel is now the focal point of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's murder investigation, as police search for a person of interest.

www.cbsnews.com