NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown.

[Indigo Snow]

Right...and there may be more targets planned.

I was thinking the same thing. Really hoping this doesn't become a trend.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

https://wapo.st/4fVc8xd

<snipped & BBM>
Surveillance camera footage obtained by The Post appears to show the suspect exiting the 57th Street F Train station timestamped at 6:15 a.m. The individual — wearing clothing, shoes and a backpack that match images released by police — leaves the station and walks briskly down Sixth Avenue toward the Hilton Hotel, where police say they responded to a call of a person being shot at 6:46 a.m.

The Starbucks where police released photos of the suspect is about 100 feet south of the subway exit. Those pictures were the clearest of his partially concealed face to be made public Wednesday. By late afternoon, the NYPD had received tips and was following potential leads.

Detectives traced the gunman’s entrance into the 843-acre park via Central Park South, and they determined that he exited on the west side. It was not clear if he left the bike in the park or if he abandoned it elsewhere.
View attachment 549206

The fact that he used the F train to get to the hotel (which runs on the east side of Manhattan from the Lower East Side to Murray Hill) is interesting considering he was last seen on the Upper West Side earlier that morning. I wonder if he lives there or was staying with someone (possibly charging the e-bike battery?)?

 

[vls12345]

Deny, Defend, and Depose make me think this is related to the DOJ investigation into the UHC Execs who sold stock prior to the other investors and public being made aware of the investigation. AND the timing of the sale is also around the time of the cyberattack. I am wondering if the cyber attack was LESS about getting member's PHI, but MORE about getting into the Exec's files and communications, etc....

Like, Denying he did anything wrong, defending the company, depositions related to the probe? This is all just so crazy... but this is definitely one case where I do not suspect the spouse AT ALL.

Totally agree. I was just getting ready to post the same thing. I think the “deny, defend, depose” messaging is related to the DOJ investigation.

MOO.

 

[getthefax]

However, given his ex-wife (or perhaps still married but separated) said that he had received threats, I would be surprised he'd not keep the protective team closer given he was in a highly public space. It's not hard to find people on LinkedIn these days for a photo either. MOO.

Can you provide a link to a source for the info that he and his wife are separated or divorcing?

 

[CrimeSlog]

If it does turn out to be a disgruntled member or family member of someone with a denied procedure or term'd policy, etc... I would really be interested in what kind of policy they had b/c most people aren't taking into account that UHC is only administering the majority of these policies, they aren't making the terms of the policy on what is covered or not. If you get a plan through your employer, it is your employer you should be mad at for non-covered services...not the cust serv reps, not the claim adjuster, not the CEO of the insurance company...

 

[vls12345]

So with the “deny, defend, depose” messaging being on different pieces of casing, would two of those be the bullets that shot Brian Thompson and one be from the jammed bullet that was cleared? If the gun would not have jammed, would BT have been shot three times in order for the pieces of the messaging to be left at the scene?

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassin may have left message on bullets used in murder: sources

Sources said several of the pieces of evidence each contained one word, indicating the shooter may have been trying to leave a message.

nypost.com

Sources said several of the pieces of evidence each contained one word, indicating the shooter may have been trying to leave a message.

 

[TTF14]

Totally agree. I was just getting ready to post the same thing. I think the “deny, defend, depose” messaging is related to the DOJ investigation.

MOO.

Or an intended misdirection/staging.

 

[getthefax]

How did someone know he was going to arrive so early to an 8AM conference? Was breakfast being served at 7AM?

When did he get into town? Hopefully they are reviewing surveillance footage from the night before (and however long he'd been in town)....maybe this wasn't the first attempt.

Side note: I wonder how long it will take for this to be a Law & Order episode. This season or season premier for next?

These investor conferences typically have mingly breakfast/coffee before the formal presentations start.

 

[acutename]

That’s been a leading theory of mine; some sort of anticapitalist.

This ain’t some hired hit, it’s some sort of ideological thing.

pretty sure some one posted this before- the protest at HQ in July-

11 arrested during protest at UnitedHealthcare HQ, alleging company is systemically "refusing to approve care"

Nearly a dozen people were arrested Monday outside UnitedHealthcare headquarters while protesting the company's alleged practice of not paying for care.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[KooshBall]

Is the DOJ investigation true? So far, every article that I have read does not mention that.

 

[bluestsocks]

Bingo!

Then again at this point I can’t completely rule out that it was in fact related to UHC. I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard of someone being so aggrieved with their insurance company (or the larger system as a whole) that they choose violence against the CEO, but I’ve seen much, much stranger things because people are, in fact, nuts.
Jmo

I’ve already seen a hundred people on social media today who blame United for the death of their loved ones. The average industry claim denial rate is 16%. United’s is TWICE that at 32%. All day long I’ve read families who say their kid or parents were denied cancer treatment by an AI analysis of the claim, and because the appeal process took so long, by the time they prevailed, it was too late and the cancer had spread too far. Or the people who were taken to an ER in network but all the doctors there were out of network and they ended up in bankruptcy. Not to mention that United’s Optum stopped paying out doctors offices during the months long hack, and then the doctors went bankrupt because they couldn’t pay rent or staff, United came in and bought private practices for pennies on the dollar. Or the insider training being investigated by the DOJ allegedly done by the victim and his colleagues to the tunes of 100s of millions of dollars.

This isn’t me victim blaming - but under the circumstances I’d be much more surprised if this *wasn't* related to his job in some way, especially since doing it on the way to the annual shareholder meeting sounds a lot like trying to send a message.

 

[bluestsocks]

Is the DOJ investigation true? So far, every article that I have read does not mention that.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was facing DOJ probe for insider trading when he was killed in targeted NYC shooting

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was one of several senior executives at the company under investigation earlier this year for allegedly dumping over $100 million in company stock months before …

nypost.com

 

[CrimeSlog]

If anyone close to him personally had set this up, there will inevitably be evidence in their digital communications and financial transactions so I think that could be easily proven if that turns out to be the case.

It's as if this gunman stalked BT. When there's an investors' meeting, a communication goes out in advance to the shareholders right? Well, however he found out about the event, it had to be because he's been trying to find an opportunity or felt this WAS his opportunity. IMO

 

[TTF14]

These investor conferences typically have mingly breakfast/coffee before the formal presentations start.

Makes sense. I've worked a lot of "industry" events and the breakfast usually starts 30-60 minutes before the actual meeting.

If this was a disgruntled insurance holder, whatever disgruntled them must have occurred "some time ago" (not super recent) because of the time it would take to research, stalk, plan. To me, it seems like if that was the motive, the disgruntled person would have entered the actual conference and opened fire on the whole lot of them, not just the CEO.

This seems more personal to me.

In my opinion.

 

[MassGuy]

So with the “deny, defend, depose” messaging being on different pieces of casing, would two of those be the bullets that shot Brian Thompson and one be from the jammed bullet that was cleared? If the gun would not have jammed, would BT have been shot three times in order for the pieces of the messaging to be left at the scene?

That's a great thought. Clearly he would have planned on firing at least three times. From what I can gather, the markings were found on a total of 3 fired and unfired rounds. Logically, it makes the most sense that 2 were fired and one was not. Regardless, the intent was clear.

 

[vls12345]

Is the DOJ investigation true? So far, every article that I have read does not mention that.

The police department in Maple Grove, Minnesota, where Thompson lived, said it had no record of threats against him, and the Minneapolis Police Department said there was "no occurrence" of Thompson in its records.

In May, a firefighters pension fund in Hollywood, Florida, sued the company and three executives, including Thompson, accusing them of selling a combined $120 million in company shares before a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust probe was disclosed publicly, according to the complaint.

From:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-ny-post-reports-2024-12-04/

More about the antitrust probe: https://www.reuters.com/business/he...ion-into-unitedhealth-wsj-reports-2024-02-27/

Also, from less than a month ago, a separate issue from the DOJ's office:

The Justice Department, together with the Attorneys General of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UnitedHealth)’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of rival home health and hospice services provider Amedisys Inc. (Amedisys).

From:

Justice Department Sues to Block UnitedHealth Group’s Acquisition of Home Health and Hospice Provider Amedisys

The Justice Department, together with the Attorneys General of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UnitedHealth)’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of rival home health and hospice services provider...

www.justice.gov

 

[TTF14]

pretty sure some one posted this before- the protest at HQ in July-

11 arrested during protest at UnitedHealthcare HQ, alleging company is systemically "refusing to approve care"

Nearly a dozen people were arrested Monday outside UnitedHealthcare headquarters while protesting the company's alleged practice of not paying for care.

www.cbsnews.com

Is it odd that people protesting this company are wearing T-shirts with the company logo?

 

[MassGuy]

Is it odd that people protesting this company are wearing T-shirts with the company logo?

They say "United Healthcare Denies Care."

 

[lydiafaithfull]

Well there's rage and violence against others in power, several cases against judges for example. ...and corporations (oil, pipelines, environmental cases, pollution that affects communities...)

But where’s the manifesto? Most fundamentalists willing to murder are prepared to take themselves out, all in the name of the cause. Maybe evidence of this will surface later, but it would appear that our shooter wants to live and remain anonymous.

 

[bluestsocks]

Makes sense. I've worked a lot of "industry" events and the breakfast usually starts 30-60 minutes before the actual meeting.

If this was a disgruntled insurance holder, whatever disgruntled them must have occurred "some time ago" (not super recent) because of the time it would take to research, stalk, plan. To me, it seems like if that was the motive, the disgruntled person would have entered the actual conference and opened fire on the whole lot of them, not just the CEO.

This seems more personal to me.

In my opinion.

I think it depends on if they cared about getting caught. If you want revenge and hope to get away with it, one high profile target on the street gives you a much better chance of escaping than opening fire on a hotel conference room full of people..