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

[Deleted member 341776]

Is an E-Bike something you rent in NYC? I know little about the e-bikes and scooters you can rent in big cities. Is it something he would have owned himself?

There are general e-bikes, which are privately owned by individuals, and there are citibikes, which are rentable by an app and readily available at racks all over NYC.

 

[Pharmasgirl]

For those thinking about the e-bike, I heard that police said he ditched the e-bike on/near 85th street, just before catching the cab a block north on 86th street. If police know about this change in his mode of transportation, then I'm not sure why police don't yet have that e-bike now.

Just because the PD hasn’t stated they don’t have the bike (don’t recall seeing that), doesn’t mean they don’t have it. We don’t know what info they have other than what they’ve told us… they’re going to be very careful with this imo.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

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

wellll.... we keep bringing up New Jersey. THAT accent is undeniable... Really just kidding around, but it is easy to discern!!!!

As many others have stated - a non-American wouldn't have the same motivation.
I disagree. If a hit was arranged by an American with $$$, they could get a hit-man from anywhere. A foreigner with mercenary skills could come from anywhere. And the further away, the more confusion.

 

[ElizaKate]

Hahahah. I haven’t done it in a while because the app I used is pretty expensive. They’ve also limited some of the things you can now search for (privacy and all).

That, and I got banned for inappropriate use (I did get a refund though).

Inappropriate use hahaha. The wild theories are incoming..

 

[Friday Fan]

.

They cross the streets differently than a native New Yorker.

You would have me at a mile away!

American, but have only been a tourist in NYC.

 

[eddie_van]

DEVELOPING: NYPD divers back in the waters of Central Park in search for distinctive weapon used in murder of #UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson. @NewsNation

View attachment 550163

https://twitter.com/x/status/1865832348253581394

i highly doubt he threw the gun in the waters of Central Park. seems dumb when he could easily just hide it on his person as he boards a bus.

 

[sas0807]

I wonder if they have some reason to believe he disposed the weapon in a body of water in central park or if they're just grasping at straws at this point

 

[Sillybilly]

I posted one, but they aren't allowed so it has been removed. They said they are only rarely allowed and only if done by a professional. I am a professional graphic designer and photo editor, but I am not certified in composites or anything, so I wasn't going to go through the verification process. If anyone else is, you might want to get verified so that you can submit one for approval.

(Mods - not complaining - I am only publicly stating this to avoid anyone else doing it so you guys don't have to delete more.)

While we normally do not allow it, Tricia has decided to make an exception in this one case and allow reasonable alterations/manipulations.

 

[Tiff23fr]

Copy/Paste Below:

Here’s what authorities are still trying to find:

• The confirmed identity of the suspect
• The weapon used in the shooting
• The bicycle the suspect used to get away

And here are some of the key pieces of evidence they’ve gathered:

• Images of the suspect’s unmasked face
• Video evidence of the path he took to escape
• The backpack possibly worn by the suspect, with a jacket inside
• DNA from a discarded Starbucks water bottle
• A partial fingerprint from the water bottle
• A discarded “burner” cell phone
• 9 mm shell casings with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on them

But crucially, there was no gun in the backpack.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/08/us/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-gunman-search-sunday/index.html

 

[ElizaKate]

i highly doubt he threw the gun in the waters of Central Park. seems dumb when he could easily just hide it on his person as he boards a bus.

Yeah this is required tick box exercise IMO. I don't think they will find the gun in the park. I don't think LE think they will either. MOO

 

[DickieDumDum]

DEVELOPING: NYPD divers back in the waters of Central Park in search for distinctive weapon used in murder of #UnitedHealthcare CEO #BrianThompson. @NewsNation

View attachment 550163

https://twitter.com/x/status/1865832348253581394

Thanks for this. I wonder whether they have a specific reason to be looking there or whether they're just combing it in the same way they combed other parts of CP? I can imagine it's extremely painstaking work trying to locate something small underwater with no visibility.

 

[x_files]

Still catching up, but want to say how true this statement is and it’s what I’ve been thinking. to the great posts I’ve missed.

Yes, America and in particular a city like NY has people from everywhere. The well-known melting pot.

I had three grandparents who came from Russia and Poland in the early part of the 20th century. Once they became citizens, they were Americans. One grandfather was born in NYC, (as were my parents and all the rest of us).

However, even though they came to NYC as teenagers, they never lost their accents.

Even today, I say this because it’s true...we have every ethnic group and if they are citizens, they are Americans now.

That does NOT however, mean it’s difficult to discern if someone is foreign born.

It's kind of the same way we can spot a tourist immediately (and not just because they are looking up at the buildings).

My neighborhood has had an enormous influx of immigrants from a certain region over the past 30 or so years. They are now Americans.

Yet there are cultural differences, at least if they arrived here when they weren’t little children.

They have a different walk…you can tell from behind where they are from. They stand more closely to you than a native New Yorker would do. They cross the streets differently than a native New Yorker.

I am not trying to demean or denigrate anyone. If I were an ex-pat in another country, they would know that about me, too.

I don’t care about who is from where, but determining this man’s possible ethnic background is just another identifier.

Right now I can’t tell if he is foreign born or just another ethnic New Yorker, like most of us, because I didn’t see enough of his walk or his stance when talking.

I do think his jog away from the crime scene was like a New Yorker would cross, but I just can’t tell.

Also I agree that if anyone was flirting at the hostel desk, it was the female clerk. She probably has had to deal with her fair share of recalcitrant guests and has honed her skills in how to deal with that. To my mind the suspect threw in a charming grin to ameliorate any sign of being a threatening customer.

JMO and JME.

I LOVE that America is a diverse group of all kinds of people. Life would be boring otherwise, and that is why I LOVE NYC!
I cannot tell his nationality or ethnicity from the footage and photo alone. He looks different in almost every photo!
These photos look like almost every guy in a dark hoodie.

 

[branmuffin]

NYPD seems to have ruled that possibility out. NYPD Chief of Detectives said yesterday “Nothing in our investigation at this time so far indicates that it had anything to do with his personal life.”

Without knowing who the killer is, it's easy to make that claim. That could change once his identity is revealed.

What about a non-US group intending to create outrage, scare people, divide society and dominate the news? The wider goal would be to create unease and discontent within the US.

I don't think the US needs any outside help in that regard.

 

[Friday Fan]

i highly doubt he threw the gun in the waters of Central Park. seems dumb when he could easily just hide it on his person as he boards a bus.

Even if the gun is found, they probably won't be able to trace it. I'm sure it's changed hands and was eventually a private purchase etc MOO. Perp is too smart to have used a legally purchased firearm.

 

[Deleted member 306806]

I don't believe my post implied that the killer thought he would kill him with one shot.
My post was to explain the important quality of the chosen gun was it has a silencer. If he started planning with no access to any gun, and had a choice of that gun or a more efficient pistol with a silencer, why would he pick a gun that is a single shot, with delays between shots that could have changed the outcome. Since shells would be ejected anyway, perhaps he decided to leave his messages on them and/or on ejected bullets. I have no idea if the leg shot was a lucky hit with intention, or an accident. Many people run after being shot in the leg and he wasn't far from a door. I think that due to the message shells/bullet, he intended to empty the magazine, which may have only held 6 bullets.

ETA that I agree with you - I have some general thoughts.

The best way to analyze the weapon choice and leg shot would NOT be asking: 1. what would the best weapon for an assassin. 2. how would the most skilled super assassin shoot someone on the street.

It would be asking: 1. what were the gunman's goals? Quiet and as un-traceable as possible. And obtainable. IMO this points to a compromise on function - as there was manual action between firing shots. He was not thrown off by that manual actions, so he either anticipated this or trained to be smooth. This weapon choice also say to me, IMO, that he was not going to shoot bystanders who tried to interviene or police if they arrived - the weapon was meant to dispatch an intended target.
2. Shoot to kill traning emphasises center mass. Gunman shot the leg first. IMO, on facts known why the legshot first is wildy specualtative without being based on much.

 

[ElizaKate]

<dbm>

 

[MassGuy]

Thanks for this. I wonder whether they have a specific reason to be looking there or whether they're just combing it in the same way they combed other parts of CP? I can imagine it's extremely painstaking work trying to locate something small underwater with no visibility.

They were able to locate a general area in which he could have dumped items, just based on his entry and exit points and the brief amount of time he spent there.

So I think it’s probably them just doing their due diligence. Unless they think for some reason he couldn’t have had that gun on him when he fled.

 

[Inthedetails]

Still catching up, but want to say how true this statement is and it’s what I’ve been thinking. to the great posts I’ve missed.

Yes, America and in particular a city like NY has people from everywhere. The well-known melting pot.

I had three grandparents who came from Russia and Poland in the early part of the 20th century. Once they became citizens, they were Americans. One grandfather was born in NYC, (as were my parents and all the rest of us).

However, even though they came to NYC as teenagers, they never lost their accents.

Even today, I say this because it’s true...we have every ethnic group and if they are citizens, they are Americans now.

That does NOT however, mean it’s difficult to discern if someone is foreign born.

It's kind of the same way we can spot a tourist immediately (and not just because they are looking up at the buildings).

My neighborhood has had an enormous influx of immigrants from a certain region over the past 30 or so years. They are now Americans.

Yet there are cultural differences, at least if they arrived here when they weren’t little children.

They have a different walk…you can tell from behind where they are from. They stand more closely to you than a native New Yorker would do. They cross the streets differently than a native New Yorker.

I am not trying to demean or denigrate anyone. If I were an ex-pat in another country, they would know that about me, too.

I don’t care about who is from where, but determining this man’s possible ethnic background is just another identifier.

Right now I can’t tell if he is foreign born or just another ethnic New Yorker, like most of us, because I didn’t see enough of his walk or his stance when talking.

I do think his jog away from the crime scene was like a New Yorker would cross, but I just can’t tell.

Also I agree that if anyone was flirting at the hostel desk, it was the female clerk. She probably has had to deal with her fair share of recalcitrant guests and has honed her skills in how to deal with that. To my mind the suspect threw in a charming grin to ameliorate any sign of being a threatening customer.

JMO and JME.

I agree, and I think it's the mannerisms more than the facial features that make me think he didn't grow up here.

But we don't know yet, of course.

jmo

 

[CrimeSlog]

Not completely caught up with today's posts but just wanted to say, IMO if you were a person in which THOUSANDS of people know you, report to you, respect you, interact with you, etc... I think it would become "high profile" that you were killed in a pretty much "televised assassination". As much as any of us are scouring the net for clues and information and posting faster than anyone can keep up = Can you for one moment, imagine if you were the leader of an organization where the VAST majority of your employees adore and admire you!? Can you imagine THOSE PEOPLE (which are thousands) are also desperate for answers, questioning the safety of other leaders they work with/for, afraid of their own safety JUST because of the job they hold!? I think this case has brought up so many questions and has essentially changed the way that people in these Executive positions will be able to conduct their business moving forward. Even the employees at the bottom of the ladder are afraid to let anyone else know who they work for, have removed their employer/occupation information from their social media profiles, etc. I wouldn't even have a LinkedIn at this point!

If anyone has a link to whatever article is being mentioned regarding this "AI Program" to deny claims I would be very interested in seeing that b/c I continue to see it referred to in online commentary but I have yet to read about it. I want to see where it specifically states that BT was the brains behind that b/c from everything I know personally, I have never heard such a thing and I fear it's some kind of misinformation but want to read it for myself to see how exactly it was written or what sources it names. TIA

ETA that this is in no way my attempt to say that his life is "more important" than any other, but just wanted to bring to the attention of those who pondered it, that there are a LOT of people who are CONCERNED by this particular murder and the motive for reasons OTHER than just his net worth. He was a human being before he was an executive. IJS.

 

[NicMed329]

There are general e-bikes, which are privately owned by individuals, and there are citibikes, which are rentable by an app and readily available at racks all over NYC.

And you can rent them in one place and drop them off at another rack anywhere in nyc.