Summary

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in a targeted attack outside a New York Hilton hotel, with investigators describing the killing as meticulously planned.

The gunman fled on foot, then by rental bike, and possibly left the city via bus. Shell casings at the scene had words like “deny” and “defend” inscribed, hinting at a motive linked to Thompson’s work.

Experts suggest the shooter may have military or weapons experience but left key clues, including surveillance footage and discarded items.

Police are analyzing evidence, including DNA, to identify the suspect.

  • Bwaz@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I wonder who was next in line to be CEO at that outfit? Seems like a great setup to use a hired, trained hit man along with some inscribed bullets to make it seem like a political asassination. In other words, if maybe this wasn’t revenge: who all would benefit from this CEO’s demise?

    • Daemon Silverstein@thelemmy.club
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      4 days ago

      If this was a conspiracy to benefit someone to become the next CEO, their shot certainly backfired. The next CEO will be under a massive public scrutiny and if UHC’s policies don’t change, he/she will certainly be the next target.

      Actually, the shot backfired twice: every CEO is now under public scrutiny, as The Adjuster became a powerful symbol of the awakened feeling of “that’s enough” inside everyone who can see the corporation greed.

      As a non-American citizen (Brazilian), I hope this feeling of “that’s enough” could spread beyond US territory, especially towards the southern hemisphere, where the political lobby, bribery and corporate greed is strong and possibly worst than in US. Perhaps it’d bring the fear from people unto politicians and corporations, which will be left with two choices: be changed or be (literally) deposed.

      • yarr@feddit.nl
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        4 days ago

        If this was a conspiracy to benefit someone to become the next CEO, their shot certainly backfired. The next CEO will be under a massive public scrutiny and if UHC’s policies don’t change, he/she will certainly be the next target.

        Actually, the shot backfired twice: every CEO is now under public scrutiny, as The Adjuster became a powerful symbol of the awakened feeling of “that’s enough” inside everyone who can see the corporation greed.

        Ah, so you are an optimist. What changes to health insurance/health care do you believe will occur in the next year due to this? I believe in 2 weeks people will be bored and worried about something else, but I’d be curious to know what you foresee.

        • Daemon Silverstein@thelemmy.club
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          4 days ago

          Optimistic, me? Lol! I’m far from an optimistic person.

          On the one hand, you’re right, humans easily forget things, especially when our daily lives are so exhausting and humans have limited attention span (it reminds me of a video about an experiment involving attention span where a person wearing a monkey costume appears during a moment where the viewers are trying to count how many times a basketball kicked on the ground: as our eyes are focused on the basketball, we can’t even notice them).

          On the other hand, I never saw this kind of broad and unified reaction and feelings of “justice had been made”. Hell, it even caused a reaction inside myself, and I’m not even an American. I’m Brazilian but I’m following what’s happening around the world, especially what’s happening with USA. I notice how the world has long been a gunpowder barrel, ready to explode. The bad things kept happening, humans kept being enslaved by this modern slavery, humans kept being silenced (“shut up and work, get us our profits, peasant!”), and everything has a tipping point. Everything has an “enough” point. A broad “enough” reaction was just a matter of time. And it seems like it happened through an anonymous symbol of this “enough” sentiment inside everyone.

          At least that’s what I feel, even when I’m from a whole another country and hemisphere, because it’s a system with tentacles over the whole world. Corporations are multinational, they got branches here and there and everywhere. For example: back in 2015 and 2019, hundreds of Brazilians were killed by a mining corporation, when a dam broke, flooded an entire town and drowned people to their deaths. If was known as “Brumadinho dam disaster” and “Mariana dam disaster”. It took years for their families to receive money (I’m not sure if this happened yet, when or how much they received), and some people even weren’t found. People were “indirectly” murdered by a mining corporation, and that mining corporation continued to operate until nowadays!!

          Something definitely needs to change, something definitely needs to happen so our “that’s enough” feelings can be awakened, so things can change even if it’s a little bit.

        • Riskable@programming.dev
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          4 days ago

          in 2 weeks people will be bored and worried about something else

          No fucking way. Because the insurance companies won’t let them!

          For fucking decades from now whenever someone gets screwed over by a health insurance company (which happens to probably hundreds of thousands every day) they’re going to think of this situation.

          The killer has proven there’s an effective means for even poor people to institute change!

          • yarr@feddit.nl
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            4 days ago

            But what outcomes will be different? If the new CEOs sweat a bit and continue denying claims at the new rate, what’s the difference? What actual impact to the people that pay health insurance will occur?

    • nepenthes@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      It is wild that he was there minutes before CEO walked by, considering the meeting was later and CEO went early. Makes it sound like a more sophisticated operation.