On Dec 4, 2024, at approximately 6:40 am, 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson was shot and killed by a currently unknown armed assailant, according to the Associated Press. As of this press time, according to the New York Times, police in Pennsylvania have arrested a person of interest, identified as Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, who was allegedly found with a gun law enforcement believes is the murder weapon and a manifesto about healthcare companies and their selfish practices.
The murder appeared to be premeditated and planned, since the gunman had waited multiple minutes for Brian outside the New York Hilton on Sixth Avenue. The bullet casings found at the crime scene had the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” inscribed on them, according to the Associated Press. The etched words are similar to the phrase “Delay, Deny, Defend” which was a book published in 2010 by Jay Feinman recounting the questionable– yet widespread– business practices of insurance companies. The phrase is also commonly used by anti-insurance critics who repudiate the idea of CEOs becoming rich off of the misery of others.
Along with the etched bullet casings, it was revealed by the NYPD that police officers found the shooter’s backpack, which was full of fake money from the Monopoly board game. The use of money from the board game was most likely meant to mock both police officers and other CEOs as a commentary on the superficiality of wealth and the illusion of power that both have– that their lives are just games. The pageantry of the situation has led to people hailing the killer as some sort of hero due to his cartoonish actions. Some people venerate him, and a “lookalike” contest was held in New York, something previously done for actors Timothee Chalamet and Jeremy Allen-White.
Internet users are also taking the opportunity to air their grievances about unjust situations they’ve had with UnitedHealthcare in the past, and the majority of internet users on X, formerly known as Twitter, are hailing the unknown killer as a hero.
“Finally, we have a hitman who knows how to send a message,” wrote user @NotTrendel1. “This guy seems super cool, I hope he never gets caught,” wrote user @MultiCabochon.
The public’s reaction is seen as polarizing by some, but others think that the public not caring is a good thing.
“It’s good for people in these positions [conglomerate CEOs] to see what the public thinks of them,” said user @JustinWhang.
Indignance towards healthcare companies isn’t a matter of political left or right, it spans across the political spectrum.
Under notable right-leaning creator Ben Shapiro’s YouTube video “A SHOCKING Targeted Attack…And The Left Celebrates,” comments agree on the perceived level of tyranny of healthcare companies, seemingly regardless of their political views.
In general, the global reaction to Brian Thompson’s death has commenters looking toward the future and wondering whether this assassination will change insurance company practices, or inspire more CEO-targeted attacks.
