# 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:** 18
**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 6, 2024, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/343 "2024-12-06T23:15:42Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > AH!! 🤣 > > I love gallows humor. 😈 A friend posted a meme of Health Insurance CEO compensation, featuring two rows of four, pictures CEOs showing their compensation. [I downloaded the image and put an X over Thompson’t picture](https://imgur.com/a/0uy4qxG) like they do on the Most Wanted Criminals posters you see on shows like _NCIS_. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/344 "2024-12-06T23:17:59Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > It will in the original Russian.   It’s only one letter shorter. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/345 "2024-12-06T23:26:28Z")
I was making a joke about the tendency of Russian dissidents to fall out of windows. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/346 "2024-12-06T23:27:31Z")
Sorry it didn’t work then. ---
**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 6, 2024, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/347 "2024-12-06T23:29:03Z")
I would have guessed Czech. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/348 "2024-12-06T23:41:10Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > dumping his backpack (which they haven’t found) This is weird. I just heard on the TV news (ABC) that police have found the backpack, but I can’t find an article. There is a Google link to an AP story from six minutes ago titled “Police have found a backpack carried by gunman who killed United Healthcare CEO,” but clicking on it leads to a story that the gunman left NYC by bus after killing the CEO; nothing about the backpack. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/349 "2024-12-06T23:46:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There is a Google link to an AP story from six minutes ago titled “Police have found a backpack carried by gunman who killed United Healthcare CEO,” but clicking on it leads to a story that the gunman left NYC by bus after killing the CEO; nothing about the backpack. The “live updates” story on [APNews.com](http://APNews.com) does now have the right headline and body copy, but not much in the way of any details yet: > [@](#): > > # Live updates: Police have found a backpack carried by the gunman who killed the UnitedHealthcare CEO > > New York City police say they have found a backpack carried by the gunman who [killed UnitedHealthcare CEO](https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-shooting-79a9710978fc7adbb23d3fed4ea2f70d) [Brian Thompson](https://apnews.com/article/united-healthcare-ceo-new-york-shooting-brian-thompson-8a130e64bcab749d1a085f5a34ab8254). > > The backpack was found in Central Park on Friday, three days after the shooting, hours after police officials told CNN that the gunman had [fled New York City by bus.](https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-manhattan-shooting-death-48590215ba756741bbaadeeb6255d135) > **[Live updates: Police have found a backpack carried by the gunman who killed...](https://apnews.com/live/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-updates-day-3)** > > The gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have felt the city on a bus, New York City police officials told CNN. Video footage shows him fleeing the scene on a bicycle through Central Park. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/350 "2024-12-06T23:52:00Z")
If he crossed the border in the northeastern U.S., he’d stick out like a sore thumb, because that region has had heavy snow in recent days. Snopes got a report that the UHC website posted a job opening for the CEO. It’s false. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/351 "2024-12-07T01:08:37Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Sure, it’s a little far on a bike (especially in winter) but not _that_ far. Unless I’m misreading what you’re saying, I would bet my bottom dollar he didn’t ride that bike to Canada. For so many reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/352 "2024-12-07T01:21:57Z")
Yeah, it’s 330 miles to the Quebec border, and even if you can find a place to recharge you don’t want to stay for long, so unless you’re a pro you’ll be stuck to little faster than 10 mph including breaks, with roads whose shoulders tend to be where they plow the snow to. Not that you want to get into the habit of biking on the shoulder, but when the shoulder is full of snow, the effective road width becomes narrower (while at the same time, icier and wetter). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/353 "2024-12-07T01:22:37Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Unless I’m misreading what you’re saying, I would bet my bottom dollar he didn’t ride that bike to Canada. From what I have read today, he didn’t stay on the bike for very long at all. The bus station mentioned below is the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, at 178th Street in northern Manhattan. > [@](#): > > Video of the gunman fleeing Wednesday’s shooting showed him riding a bicycle into Central Park and later taking a taxi to a bus terminal that offers commuter service to New Jersey and Greyhound routes to Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C, according to Kenny. > > Police have video of the man entering the bus station but no video of him exiting, leading them to believe he left the city, Kenny said. > **[Police find bag carried by gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, say he...](https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealthcare-ceo-manhattan-shooting-death-48590215ba756741bbaadeeb6255d135)** > > Possible leads have emerged about the gunman's travel before the shooting of Brian Thompson and a message scrawled on ammunition. ---
**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 7, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/354 "2024-12-07T01:27:59Z")
I wonder what happened to the bicycle. He probably just left it at the train station and someone swiped it. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/355 "2024-12-07T01:30:00Z")
Typically, how long would an unlocked, unattended e-bike sit around in NYC before someone stole it? ---
**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 7, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/356 "2024-12-07T01:36:27Z")
They’ll never find the bike. And unless there’s something in the backpack or the phone with his name on it, they’ll probably never find him either. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/357 "2024-12-07T01:41:47Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Typically, how long would an unlocked, unattended e-bike sit around in NYC before someone stole it? > [@Smapti](#): > > They’ll never find the bike. For awhile lots of posts about London came into my Reddit feed and quite a few of them were about finding Lime bikes everywhere including in the water. If 2024 NYC is in a similar situation, there might be quite a few abandoned bikes (rental and otherwise) you’d have to sift through before finding the right one. ---
**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 7, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/358 "2024-12-07T03:07:42Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > He would need a passport, and an airline ticket, and would have to go through Canada Customs at a land crossing There is no wall at the Canadian border. I know places where it’s just a short trek thru a farmer’s field _if_ you have someone picking you up on the other side. > [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I look forward to reading his “Why I’m Leaving New York” essay. Too many shootings > [@Ludovic](#): > > For awhile lots of posts about London came into my Reddit feed and quite a few of them were about finding Lime bikes everywhere including in the water. Search YT for them pulling bikes out of the canals in Amsterdam. Truly insane quantities. ---
**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 7, 2024, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/359 "2024-12-07T03:11:10Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > There is no wall at the Canadian border. I know places where it’s just a short trek thru a farmer’s field _if_ you have someone picking you up on the other side. Sure, but as others have commented, there’s been a lot of snow in Ontario and Quebec the past couple of weeks, making hiking difficult. Plus, now the theory requires an accomplice, in a foreign country. The more people involved, the more complicated the situation. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/360 "2024-12-07T03:15:06Z")
I honestly don’t understand the speculation about Canada at all. What would even be the point of going to Canada unless, by coincidence, the shooter is actually _from Canada_? Barring that (actually being a Canadian, which seems unlikely), I would assume he is either (a) still in the US or (b) hopped a flight to… anywhere in the world but Canada. It’s not like Canada is some lawless nation where no one has an internet connection. Much better to go to west Texas for that, I think (posting from El Paso). ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2024, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/361 "2024-12-07T03:22:22Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Or just spend a few minutes each week watching _Forgotten Weapons_ Speaking of which Ian has categorically stated that what he sees there is **not** a Welrod-type weapon. ---
**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 7, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159/362 "2024-12-07T03:42:32Z")
Speculation from law enforcement that he used a veterinary gun (used to put down large animals?) typically used on farms and are relatively quiet. > **[UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Suspect May Have Used Veterinary Gun, Police Say](https://www.tmz.com/2024/12/06/unitedhealthcare-ceo-murder-suspect-veterinary-gun/)** > > The suspect who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan may have used a special weapon more common on farms ... at least according to cops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unitedhealthcare-ceo-fatally-shot-in-manhattan-breaking-news-2024-12-04/1011159.md?page=19)