NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown.

[Inthedetails]

He would have known that, just not realized law enforcement would recover it.

Again, dumb thought on his part.

 

[Cryptic]

Seemed to be pretty skilled. Shooter stance. Two hand grip. Clears jams really quickly. Suggests someone comfortable and experienced with firearms. Could be law enforcement, military; someone not new to this.

I agree fully. In clearing the jam, the shooter seems to go into a well oiled textbook routine:

A- Shooter notes what caused the jam. Then seems to immediately start following LE / military textbook steps for a "failure to eject". This suggests that even under stress, he still noted the cartridge did not eject.

B- Racks the slide back to force the spent cartridge to eject. Slide is released forward to to feed another cartridge into the chamber. As you stated, he is very practiced as he continues to advance towards the victim while working the slide.

C- Seems to push / slap forward on the slide with his hand to ensure that it is seated fully forward. Thus, he knows the pistol is ready to fire instead of having jammed again. He then quickly fires the pistol again.

Step C, though appearing to be a small step, is straight out of textbooks for both LE and military pistol training.

 

[Sunshynn]

Calm, cool, early-riser, fancy backpack guy...but drops wrappers?

I could be reading it wrong but I think he threw the wrappers away in the trash and it was caught on surveillance camera.
However, he apparently did drop or discard the cellphone.
I think that the cellphone is - imo - a red herring but he was just thoughtless with the cup and wrappers.

 

[Torbs]

That he was apparently staying in an UWS hostel is interesting. Those places are basically inexpensive shared dorm rooms typically marketed to young international travelers.

 

[fridaybaker]

I keep thinking he went to Starbucks simply because it was cold outside. Not saying that is right, but seems plausible at this point.

jmo

And why not to to Starbucks? He apparently paid with cash, was covered head-to-toe to prevent identification, and needed to spend an extra few mintues somewhere besides hanging out in front of the Hilton.

I really don't find it odd at all. He had some time to kill. Starbucks seems as good a place as any. That way, he's doing something, blending in, not simply standing around.

 

[JB1958]

New video of the gunman riding a bike on the Upper West Side after the killing has been released (video in article below)

UnitedHealthcare CEO shot: Brian Thompson killed in Midtown, NYC as NYPD close in on ID of shooter | abc7ny.com

CEO%20of%20UnitedHealthCare%20Brian%20Thompson%20was%20fatally%20shot%20in%20Manhattan%2C%20NYC%20outside%20the%20Midtown%20Hilton%20Hotel%2C%20NYPD%20says.

abc7ny.com

<snipped>
Three spent shell casings were found at the scene along with three live rounds from a 9mm, and NYPD detectives are working to determine whether the words on the casings were meant as a message from the shooter and a hint at his motive. They believe the shooting could be the result of a grudge against the insurance company.

[…]

A new video released on Thursday shows the alleged suspect biking out of Central Park, on West 85th Street, after the shooting.

[…]

A canvas of surveillance cameras on the perimeter of Central Park also revealed a person resembling the suspect entered the park on the Upper West Side, near the Fredrick Douglass houses, hours before the shooting and exited the park on the west side sometime after the shooting.

He has no backpack on.
Also that is not a City Bike, and his shoes are different, no white soles.

 

[bestill]

Seems like we have a lot of leaked information about this murder, it's only been 24 hours. Hopeful that an arrest is coming soon.

 

[Charlot123]

Yes, yes yes.... they ARE all the same actually. And with so many boomers hitting retirement years, the claims process is going to climb exponentially, and is probably going to get more painful as well.

I guess that is why I felt from the get-go... ONE motive has certainly been achieved. Sudden Awareness of the Insurance industry and its foibles and flaws!!!

I am still thinking this was a paid hit... but with someone who is close enough to the "cause". I just feel the shooter is just too cocky and confident to be the one pained. Zero emotion.

I dunno, when I first saw him looking so cocky, I was just feeling we might have a "Robinhood" situation here....

The same, but slightly different IMHO. Actually, I would put UH not at the bottom, but second from the bottom.

This being said, attracting attention to the situation - 32% of claim denials, the CEO's insider trading activity probe - serves better than a manifesto.

 

[alsleuther]

Do we know how many days the conference was? It's so dark out at that time of the morning (to be 100% sure of Thompson's identity), I wonder if the shooter ran a test run on Tuesday morning to know exactly the route Thompson would take and know exactly what his coat looked like,etc.

Unless you were very familiar with Thompson, there would be a risk of mistaking identity for any other businessman walking in the area in the dark.

 

[Inthedetails]

I could be reading it wrong but I think he threw the wrappers away in the trash and it was caught on surveillance camera.
However, he apparently did drop or discard the cellphone.
I think that the cellphone is - imo - a red herring but he was just thoughtless with the cup and wrappers.

Good info - thanks!

Still, this all seems like a very casual attitude. I would imagine a "random" person who wanted to commit murder wouldn't be eating a snack bar moments before the big deed but would rather have no appetite. I do recall cases where the murderer ate AFTER the crime, but beforehand seems so...detached.

I don't think he was personally motivated to kill but was hired. He's too detached - and didn't even take more than a nano-second to bask in what he did but simply walked away.

But if it was for personal reasons, he clearly thought out his steps and probably practiced the route.

jmo

eta: by "random," I don't mean this is a random crime, but rather "random" as an otherwise regular person, like a family member of a patient denied service.

 

[MassGuy]

He has no backpack on.

Screenshot:

 

[fashionella]

That he was apparently staying in an UWS hostel is interesting. Those places are basically inexpensive shared dorm rooms typically marketed to young international travelers.

and you don't need a credit card to check in. And foreigners use hostels. Something tells me he is not American and he has already left the country. He worked very fast, speed was the key. He knew about the cameras and didn't care bc he could get to the airports before 8 am

 

[Justice101]

Made a Google map of key times, locations and details - Brian Thompson Murder - Google My Maps

Excellent! Thank you! That helps tremendously!!!

 

[TheLoadedGoat]

IMO it's either related to his divorce, or an angry individual who was affected by a denial of benefits.

I have seen nothing about him going through a divorce and find nothing searching. MSM link?

 

[JB1958]

Screenshot:

View attachment 549307

Also that is not a City Bike, and his shoes are different, no white soles.

 

[PrairieWind]

and you don't need a credit card to check in. And foreigners use hostels. Something tells me he is not American and he has already left the country. He worked very fast, speed was the key. He knew about the cameras and didn't care bc he could get to the airports before 8 am

I wondered about this possibility as well.

 

[Elley Mae]

He has no backpack on.

Ditched the backpack, bike is gone. Shots BT and leaves, seen on multiple cameras before and after the killing. This person doesn’t care, probably no fingerprints on file. Not sure how this will end.

Jmo

As a 68 yr old my prints have been on file since i was 16. 52 years. Part time job i had.

 

[alsleuther]

Wow looks like it was a 1 day event. There was no time the day before to run a test run. The shooter was so brazen. How did he know that Thompson would be staying at the hotel across the street - and know exactly where to stand at what time? It seems to me he had to have some personal details about Thompson's accomodations & schedule that day.

UnitedHealth Group to Host 2024 Investor Conference

UnitedHealth Group will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

"UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

UnitedHealth Group leaders will discuss the company’s long-term strategic growth priorities and its efforts to advance high-quality health care, including through a continued focus on improving the consumer experience and expanding value-based care. Management will also provide its outlook for growth and performance in 2025."

 

[armchairagatha]

With crypto and the dark web, payments for hit jobs are untraceable. My guess is that he is a trained assassin from abroad hired specifically for this job. That would explain why people think he is trained with weapons but not in a way they do it in the USA. Hostel also points to someone young from abroad.

 

[Inthedetails]

No matter who the killer is or what the motivation is, I am prepared to be flabbergasted. Usually by this stage, we've narrowed down a most-likely motive, but possibilities are still really all over the place. So many scenarios "could" make sense - will the answer be something we have surmised or something completely off our radar that we couldn't have possibly have figured out? idk

jmo