# UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot in Manhattan \[breaking news: 2024-12-04\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [December 4, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159 "2024-12-04T16:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/183 "2024-12-05T15:58:30Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > [This](https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-shot-chest-midtown-manhattan-masked-gunman-large/story?id=116446382) one; the link _was_ in the quote, but not clickable. You had to highlight and google or paste it for it to work. Thanks. It appears the story has been updated, since it now talks about the “delay, deny, defend” writing. Maybe the original version was published before they had that information? Not saying it was, just speculating. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/184 "2024-12-05T16:11:13Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > A pro would have done it in is neighborhood, not in the middle of fucking Manhattan. This is ridiculous. I agree, this pro talk makes no sense to me. A pro wouldn’t have appeared on so many cameras in sequence, wouldn’t have left dna-contaminated trash, would have brought a gun that actually worked with the silencer instead of failing to cycle three times, wouldn’t have dropped a phone, wouldn’t have done this in broad daylight in front of potentially hundreds of witnesses. I don’t see anything more complicated to this person’s plan that something they could have put together after watching a handful of action movies. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/185 "2024-12-05T16:22:20Z")
Are there even pros anymore that aren’t doing spy work for nations? This doesn’t include gangsters shooting other gangsters. I’ve always heard that guns for hire don’t really exist. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/186 "2024-12-05T16:45:20Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > “What you can determine from his behaviour is this person is a practised, seasoned, trained professional killer,” Mr Rankhorn said. > [@hajario](#): > > Are there even pros anymore that aren’t doing spy work for nations? This doesn’t include gangsters shooting other gangsters. I’ve always heard that guns for hire don’t really exist. This is what I was coming to say. Do we really have professional assassins in the US? Are we just not seeing the news about all the other professional hits going on? I don’t see anything professional about this. The work with the gun was not difficult if you’ve shot them much. I shot plenty of “action” pistol and was proficient at clearing jams quickly. Of course, I then got a gun that didn’t misfeed (big part of that is keeping them clean). You’d think a “pro” would have a reliable gun. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/187 "2024-12-05T16:52:29Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > You’d think a “pro” would have a reliable gun. Just speculation: Maybe this is the reality. TV and movie “silencers” that make the gun go “pssth” don’t exist. Maybe, the compromise of a suppressor that diminishes the sound enough to be useful means there isn’t sufficient oomph to cycle the action. So each round is quieter, but the weapon must be cycled by hand. Still would be a useful assassination tool. Just not James Bond movie style. (A suppressed revolver wouldn’t require cycling, but the gap between the barrel and the chamber makes the possible existence of a functional suppressor a moot (not a mute!) point.) ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/188 "2024-12-05T16:53:51Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I don’t see anything professional about this. The work with the gun was not difficult if you’ve shot them much. Agree. Millions of people are so proficient at various things that could be mistaken for being “professional.” Just look at the two yokels you managed to aim a gun a Trump - there are many people who are armed and way more disciplined out there. It wont take a pro to pull off something like this, just someone with enough practice, watching enough Jason Bourne, and enough cajones. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/189 "2024-12-05T16:53:58Z")
Probable source for the words carved in the casings was the book below called “Delay Deny Defend” which is a critique of the health care industry. > **[Amazon.com: Delay Deny Defend: Why insurance companies don't pay claims and what...](https://www.amazon.com/Delay-Deny-Defend-insurance-companies-ebook/dp/B086Z2HGWM)** > > Delay Deny Defend: Why insurance companies don't pay claims and what you can do about it - Kindle edition by Feinman, Jay. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and... Yeah, he got one of the words wrong. Clearly it’s a non-pro angered over the industry ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/190 "2024-12-05T17:06:38Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Yeah, he got one of the words wrong. If he was using “depose” in the sense “remove from power,” it fits the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/191 "2024-12-05T17:07:31Z")
I wonder how many folks are champing at the bit to become his replacement. I imagine not many are gunning for that job. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/192 "2024-12-05T17:16:27Z")
ISWYDT. [Discourse] ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/193 "2024-12-05T17:18:36Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Even if it was a burner phone, if it had been used at all there could be all kinds of evidence in it (or on it if he touched it with his bare fingers). I’ve seen on many documentaries that if it is broken in half, the cops can’t trace it, all the data is erased and cannot be recovered and all fingerprints are wiped off. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/194 "2024-12-05T17:22:28Z")
That’s only for flip phones. For smart phones you stomp on it and break the glass. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/195 "2024-12-05T17:33:34Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > For smart phones you stomp on it and break the glass. This is why I’m not a professional assassin. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/196 "2024-12-05T17:34:21Z")
[The NYT just released a couple of photos showing the guy’s face.](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/05/nyregion/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-news?unlocked_article_code=1.fE4.De68.Y1uZAHC28HZg&smid=url-share)(gift link). He apparently stayed at an hostel on the Upper West Side prior to the shooting. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/197 "2024-12-05T17:37:57Z")
It shouldn’t be long before a relative or coworker calls in a tip. That face is easy to remember. Very prominent jutting jaw and bushy eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/198 "2024-12-05T17:39:12Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > He apparently stayed at an hostel on the Upper West Side prior to the shooting. Staying at a hostel is yet another mark against it being a professional hitman. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/199 "2024-12-05T17:46:27Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > $120 million worth of insider trading ain’t nothing, though I spose arguably that counts as business and not personal. But it’s fraud on a scale beyond most people’s ability to actually grasp. I did see that $120 mil was collective & most of it was attributed to the chairman; only about $15 mil was from options that he sold (& his salary was $9.9 mil last year; so while it’s life changing to most people it only a nice amount to him) > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > This is why I’m not a professional assassin. Well, I _am_ a professional hitman & I…oooh…nevermind. Forget you saw this post…or else! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/200 "2024-12-05T17:48:09Z")
Plus the “hey, I’ve got a few minutes, so I’ll stop in at a Starbucks on the way to my job” doesn’t sound very professional to me. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/201 "2024-12-05T18:29:50Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > Yeah, he got one of the words wrong. > > If he was using “depose” in the sense “remove from power,” it fits the bill. He could have also been using it in the sense of “depositions” in the pre-trial process: one deposes a witness, putting them to questioning by a lawyer, which takes time and money to defend. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/202 "2024-12-05T18:34:01Z")
That’s exactly how I read it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159.md?page=11)