[imagesource: UnitedHealth Group]
The investigation into the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (above) took another surreal turn Saturday, with a report that a backpack tied to the alleged gunman contained two eyebrow-raising items: a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money.
And somehow, we recognise that fake cash from a game feels apt in the chaos.
The backpack was discovered in Central Park on Friday, two days after Thompson was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel. While police have remained mum on the contents, sources spilt the tea to ABC News, confirming the odd inventory.
Notably absent? The firearm used in the attack.
Video obtained by Yahoo News appears to show the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson minutes before the attack. A manhunt for the shooter entered its third day on Friday in what officials are calling a “targeted attack.” https://t.co/g3X1mX2QpF pic.twitter.com/7t6JPak44o
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) December 6, 2024
Adding to the drama, the NYPD dropped a new image of the masked and hooded suspect, snapped in a taxi. No name yet, but investigators insist they’re “making good progress.” Some are hoping that’s code for they’ve got no idea where he is.
I just read this, and I’m glad no one is helping find #UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer. Law enforcement should have treated Brian Thompson’s family exactly like United Healthcare treats its customers: always deny and make them file appeals. pic.twitter.com/UTNVK40A3Y
— Pinky Stanseski ️⚧️️She/her (@undergradwoman) December 7, 2024
Authorities have labelled the killing a “pre-planned, targeted attack,” and the gunman remains on the run after ambushing Thompson on Wednesday morning, per Rolling Stone. Security footage shows the shooter lurking in the shadows before pouncing, firing multiple rounds into Thompson’s back and leg outside a Midtown Hilton. Thompson, 50, was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
As if the Monopoly money wasn’t cryptic enough, investigators found shell casings at the scene engraved with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” Social media sleuths quickly linked the ominous phrases to Jay M. Feinman’s Delay, Deny, Defend, a 2010 exposé on the unsavoury tactics of insurance companies. It seems the shooter might’ve had a flair for literary symbolism and a huge grudge against the healthcare-industrial complex.
Thompson, a UnitedHealth veteran since 2004, became CEO of the insurance giant’s UnitedHealthcare division in April 2021. Now, as the hunt for his killer continues, the twists in this case are beginning to rival the plot of a true-crime podcast.
In the aftermath of Thompson’s killing, certain pockets of social media met his death with little sympathy, while others thirsted over the alleged suspect and the one photo of him maskless and smiling.
Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare who stole about $70k a year off me back in the states and rejected like half of my fraking claims, has thankfully died today.
Hopefully some more scummy medical insurance CEOs are next! pic.twitter.com/JDUxFVgiQy
— Ms Millicent: Christmas Mode ☃️✝️♿ ️ (@MillieCheesey) December 4, 2024
Disturbing ‘hot assassin’ trend spreads online after UnitedHealthcare CEO’s murder with killer likened to two A-list stars https://t.co/lWVzfBTuVX pic.twitter.com/1t94bfAMxM
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) December 6, 2024
The world really seems to be breaking at this point.
[source:rollingstone]
