Search For The UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Suspect Has Gone National — And Now There’s FanFic Involved

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, many of us were struggling to get out of bed or considering canceling our spinning class. For another man, this was his last hour. Brian Thompson was shot right outside the New York Hilton Midtown at about 6:45 am, according to The New York Times. He was rushed to Mount Sinai West in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.

Thompson was the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a husband, and a father of two. It’s believed that this was a targeted attack due to Thompson’s position. This is supported by the shell casings found nearby, with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” written on them.

Photos of the suspect have been distributed to numerous law enforcement agencies, including airport authorities and border patrol stations at the Mexican and Canadian borders, in an effort to prevent his escape from the country. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest and conviction, while the NYPD has supplemented this with an additional $10,000.

During a news conference on Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that Luigi Mangione, 26, was a “strong person of interest” in the fatal shooting. Mangione was arrested on firearms charges and taken in for questioning related to Thompson’s death. He has not been charged with Thompson’s killing at this time.

Over the weekend the internet turned into a strange place as many social media users applauded the killer’s actions. Many are criticizing insurance companies’ seemingly capitalistic and coldhearted practices. The shell casings and the words on them have fueled this rhetoric. Some see the killer as a vigilante of sorts. The same words have begun popping up in street art and could reference a book critiquing the insurance industry, which was published with the title “Delay Deny Defend” in 2010.

Additionally — and there’s genuinely no other way to put this — many are thirst-trapping the suspected shooter based on surveillance photos released. In addition to erotic fanfic, a “celebrity lookalike” competition was hosted for the suspect and saw thirty participants. The winner, a 39-year-old data entry worker for a labor union, chose to remain anonymous. He expressed support for the gunman’s actions, stating that it was essential to raise awareness about the pain and struggles people face under the current healthcare system. Meanwhile, the Ralph Lauren sweater found in the suspect’s bag is seeing a surge in sales across the country.

Usually, the internet works tirelessly to assist with such cases, as seen recently with Hannah Kobayashi and last year with Gabby Petito. But this time, the online masses are seemingly thwarting police efforts. The hostel where the suspect stayed has been cooperating with the police. In return, they received a deluge of bad reviews, and some labeled the workers there as “narcs.”

Here’s the latest updates on the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting.

How did the shooting happen?

Thompson, a Minnesota resident, was in New York to attend an investor meeting for UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare.

Surveillance footage of the shooting shows the suspect walking behind Thompson, who was dressed in a blue suit and appeared to be heading to the Hilton hotel unaccompanied. According to Joe Kenny, chief of detectives for the New York City Police Department, Thompson did not have a security detail and left his hotel on his own.

The suspect allegedly checked out of his hostel, visited a Starbucks, and then waited outside of the hotel for his victim. He seemingly ignored others passing by, targeting Thompson specifically from behind as he walked to the hotel. It’s clear that he had proficient use of firearms, as he was able to clear a malfunction in the gun.

On Wednesday, Thompson’s wife Paulette Thompson told NBC News that while she did not know specific details, she knew that “some people had been threatening him.”

What evidence does the NYPD have?

The shooting incited an immediate citywide manhunt by law enforcement. The police slowly discovered the trail of evidence, which seemed almost intentionally left for them.

The evidence includes:

• DNA from a discarded Starbucks water bottle
• A partial fingerprint from the water bottle
• Images of the suspect’s unmasked face
• Video evidence of the path he took to escape
• A discarded burner phone
• A backpack, which was possibly worn by the suspect, with a jacket inside. It also featured Monopoly money.
• 9 mm shell casings with the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” written on them

Additionally, a senior law enforcement official informed The New York Times on Thursday that the shooter used a fraudulent New Jersey ID on November 30 to secure a room at an Upper West Side hostel, where he stayed before killing Thompson.

What are the authorities still trying to find?

This may seem like a lot of evidence, but the police are still missing key factors of the murder. He is likely to have left NYC by now, and as we know, the country is MASSIVE.

Here’s what they are still trying to find:

1. The confirmed identity of the suspect. Despite photos, DNA, and belongings, the police don’t know who the killer was.
2. The weapon used in the shooting. As mentioned, the police have shell casings from the shooting but not the gun itself. Police divers searched a lake in Central Park to no avail.
3. The bicycle the suspect escaped on. It’s not quite a “Getaway Car,” but the suspect left on an electric bike. The police are yet to find the exact bike, which could offer additional evidence.
4. The motive for the attack. The words on the bullet casings — “deny,” “defend,” and “depose — are commonly used to describe how insurance companies avoid paying claims whenever they can. UnitedHealthcare and other health insurance companies have faced growing criticism for denying claims and creating barriers to accessing care, according to a report by the Associated Press earlier this year.