# 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:** 12
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/223 "2024-12-05T21:22:29Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I am not so sure one could pay a hitman to include additional text in the hit. I suppose the Venn diagram of “people who can’t afford lifesaving treatments without insurance” and “people who can afford to hire a professional assassin” is probably a very small overlap, but there’s definitely some degree of skill here that suggests this isn’t just John Q. Gunowner. He knew where the target would be, he managed to avoid letting his entire face be seen on camera, he was able to acquire or build a silencer and knew how to clear a jam quickly, he had a getaway vehicle staged that was more mobile and harder to trace than a car, and he knew that by fleeing into Central Park he’d be able to escape the view of security cameras. Probably a veteran, or at least someone who watches a LOT of true crime and had the forethought to avoid most of the pitfalls that trip up the average murderer. (Funny enough, just a few days ago I was browsing at an underground bookstore here in Olympia and among their rare stock they had an old book on how to build a silencer.) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/224 "2024-12-05T21:27:49Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Unless the killer escaped into a surfacing Chinese submarine in the Hudson, he only has a small chance of escape From the time the shooter disappeared into Central Park to the time he could have gotten on a plane headed to a no-extradition country, _none of the databases you listed could have been activated_. During that time period there was no DNA or fingerprints or shoe-sole information available to input into the system. (The shooter might well not be in the fingerprints database anyway.) So: he could have gotten away. No Chinese submarine necessary. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/225 "2024-12-05T21:28:06Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > By any reasonable definition as far as this thread goes, a professional means a hitman (of any gender) who does this for a living. I’m not a professional baker because my mom paid me to make a cake one time. Conversely, I suspect that, the first time you kill somebody for money, most people would consider you a hitman – whether of not you immediately go into retirement afterward 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/226 "2024-12-05T21:29:13Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Conversely, I suspect that, the first time you kill somebody for money, most people would consider you a hitman . Yeah, it’s not as though most people would reason it out as ‘_he only killed one person for money so it’s just a hobby_.’ ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/227 "2024-12-05T21:29:35Z")
Maybe the IRS 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/228 "2024-12-05T21:30:20Z")
😂 Could be! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/229 "2024-12-05T21:32:25Z")
DNA on the water bottle and maybe touch DNA on the phone The victim, we’ve learned, was living separately from his wife and kids. The cops will look into that, with the engraved shells just a red herring ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/230 "2024-12-05T21:35:33Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > DNA on the water bottle and maybe touch DNA on the phone That’s right, but my point was the TIME factor. The guy disappears into Central Park, and nothing is stopping him from boarding a plane within a couple of hours (or maybe less). Perhaps the labs will get DNA readings at some point, but it will be too late to ID him and stop him from escaping, because he’s already gone. (Same for the fingerprints and other databases mentioned.) Interesting about the CEO living separately from his wife and kids. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/231 "2024-12-05T21:36:18Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > You need to activate a burner phone by calling in from a traceable phone. Sorry to be _that guy_, but do you have a cite for this? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/232 "2024-12-05T21:41:00Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > From the time the shooter disappeared into Central Park to the time he could have gotten on a plane headed to a no-extradition country, _none of the databases you listed could have been activated_ … > > … So: he could have gotten away. It’s possible, of course, but realistically, ISTM just from following general news that most such perps are eventually found right in the US. Permanently absconding to a no-extradition foreign country isn’t as easy as it sounds, particularly if you don’t speak the language and have no means of support. Most seem to find it far easier to hang out at home and hope they’re never discovered. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/233 "2024-12-05T21:41:51Z")
The cops have a smudged fingerprint from the water bottle, but haven’t been able to unlock the phone yet. The killer apparently wore his mask the entire time he was staying at the hostel. I’ve been thinking for some time now that the advent of covid making it acceptable to wear masks in public could make this sort of thing easier. Prior to 2020 people would’ve thought it odd if you kept your face covered all the time, but these days noone bats an eye. > **[Police race to find gunman responsible for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO....](https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/05/us/unitedhealthcare-ceo-killed-what-we-know-hnk/index.html)** > > Police are searching for a gunman on the loose after shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in what police described as a bold and deliberate attack in the heart of New York City. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/234 "2024-12-05T21:42:26Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > To pull off something like this in broad daylight in the middle of Manhattan and not be apprehended this many hours after is astounding. It’s not “Astounding” at all, honestly. A person determined to plan and get away with a murder who has a lick of sense can get away with it for at least quite awhile. ESPECIALLY in a big city. The extent of connection between the assailant and the victim has a lot to do with the likelihood the perp will be caught. > [@Smapti](#): > > If the killer was a hired gun, which seems likely to me with how well orchestrated the whole thing was, then the only reason to do it in public is if they wanted people to see it. There are much more discreet ways of killing someone. No, the obvious other reason to do it in public is that it’s easier to do it anonymously and get away, and a very small amount of research would allow one to figure out where the victim was going to be. Killing the man at his house, or his office, or inside the building the conference was in, or any place like that is much riskier, and vastly increases the difficulty of making good an escape. On the street in Manhattan you can flee in multiple directions and be gone in no time. What’s interesting about it is clearly the assailant must have known what building Thompson was walking TO, at the very least, and it appears he likely knew where Thompson was coming FROM. That would suggest to me that he had enough info to be aware of the likely timing of Thompson’s movements. ---
**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, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/235 "2024-12-05T21:44:32Z")
There are a couple of pictures of him maskless at the hostel that have been posted by the NYPD. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/236 "2024-12-05T21:44:51Z")
Correction - burner phones can be activated online. But that still leaves a trail via the IP address. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/237 "2024-12-05T21:45:12Z")
The killer might not be a hired gun, but I still think they wanted people to see the murder. The messages on the bullets definitely suggest propaganda of the deed. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/238 "2024-12-05T21:46:48Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I am not so sure one could pay a hitman to include additional text in the hit. Some do offer that service, but they usually charge by the letter. And you can’t choose the font, it’s quite often comic sans. Which is why few people bother. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/239 "2024-12-05T21:49:12Z")
The killer may have had weapons training. In fact, almost certainly. But this guy was not the sort of professional killer most often seen on television. Hit men do not leave messages on the casings. This was an assassination . In most of these cases, the killer acts alone. We will see. So far the police deem to got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/240 "2024-12-05T21:49:13Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > There are a couple of pictures of him maskless at the hostel that have been posted by the NYPD. CNN posted one such picture on their front page. He’s wearing a hood but no mask and the picture is pretty clear. This may well lead to a tip from someone who recognizes him. It feels like they’re closing in. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/241 "2024-12-05T21:51:47Z")
As was mentioned on CNN earlier today, those photos suggested a nondescript appearance, the kind you wouldn’t remember if he bumped into you on the street. But they added your point, about being recognizable to a friend, a co-worker, or a relative. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/242 "2024-12-05T21:59:49Z")
Just adding to a few of my earlier comments – most salient being that I have _no_ theory of the case – just suppose the shooter _was_ paid by somebody else (who _did_ have a major motive). NYC is so chock full of immigrants from far-away lands that it’s theoretically entirely possible that somebody wasn’t that worried about getting caught because, once paid, they could go ‘home’ and live a normal life forever and ever, particularly if ‘home’ happened to _be_ a non-extradition country. Again: I’m looking at what’s possible (but not _highly_ unlikely) before getting even remotely close to what I think might be _probable._ Call me a coward 😉 ETA: the same could hold true for the shooter, himself, for that matter (if it wasn’t a paid hit): close ties to another country, ease of getting out of the country quickly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159.md?page=13)