Overview

The Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson refers to the murder of 50-year-old Brian Thompson, the CEO of American multinational health insurance and services company UnitedHealthcare (UHC), in Midtown, Manhattan, New York. Thompson was shot down by an unknown gunman in front of a Hilton Hotel early in the morning of December 4th, 2024. CCTV footage of the shooting leaked on Twitter / X and Reddit soon after. In the security camera video, the gunman is seen wearing a dark grey or black hoodie and a light-colored backpack. He notably appears to use a sidearm with a suppressor to kill Thompson. It was originally reported that the gunman fled on a pay-per-ride Citi Bike, however, the claim was later retracted although the suspect did flee on an e-bike of some kind. The event quickly became international news as it spawned numerous memes and viral reactions in early December 2024, many of which mocked or celebrated Thompson's death due to controversies with healthcare in the U.S. as people humorously championed the unknown gunman. Celebratory remarks then escalated when it was reported that the words "Deny, Defend, Depose" were written on the shell casings of the bullets used in the assassination. It was speculated by internet users and news outlets that the phrase was a reference to Jay M. Feinman's 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend, an expose on insurance companies about why they don't pay claims and what people can do about it.

On December 9th, 2024, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was detained at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania as the suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter. The update spawned a slew of viral posts and memes about Mangione. After his mugshots were released, a conspiracy theory that Luigi Mangione was not the shooter spread online, largely focusing on his eyebrows seemingly being different from the ones on the suspect in the Manhattan Starbucks. Also, a campaign called Free Luigi Mangione was started online.

Background

At approximately 6:04 a.m. EST on December 4th, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan by an unknown assailant. Thompson was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital according to the New York Police Department.^[1][2]

The gunman is believed to have used a pistol with a silencer in the killing, striking Thompson in the calf and the back as he fired multiple shots. The shooter then fled on foot and later on a bike, originally reported as a Citi Bike. According to the NYPD, he was last seen entering Central Park.^[2]

The suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan appeared to be "lying in wait for several minutes" for "his intended target," police say. He fled and was last seen in Central Park in the morning.Thompson was struck at least once in the… pic.twitter.com/wpeIxyHB6z

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 4, 2024

At an NYPD police conference held on December 4th, a poster was photographed by the New York Times^[1] showing CCTV footage stills of the suspect at the scene of the crime and fleeing on an e-bike (shown below).

According to the New York Post^[15] in an article from later on December 4th, 2024, the gunman was also spotted inside a Starbucks location near the shooting, with the NYPD releasing new photos from the CCTV footage at the coffee shop that showed the shooter standing in front of the counter. It's unknown if he purchased anything.

Brian Thompson Shooting Video

On December 4th, 2024, X^[3] user @Jake_Hanrahan (among others) posted a leaked video of the surveillance footage showing the murder of Brian Thompson at the Hilton Hotel (shown below). The suspect is seen in a dark grey or black hoodie, wearing a light gray-colored backpack.

The gunman can also be more clearly seen using what seems to be a suppressor at the end of a handgun and is seen manually pulling back the slide of the firearm in between shots as it fails to cycle (which can happen when a suppressor is used and when subsonic rounds are used^[16]), according to some X^[4] users commenting on the footage. He then flees on foot. @Jake_Hanrahan's post received over 3,700 likes in a few hours.

NYPD detectives have discovered the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" written on shell casings found at the scene where the United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed – ABC pic.twitter.com/sJMWzogeVz

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 5, 2024

Online Reactions

On December 4th, 2024, viral reactions and posts about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson surfaced on social media. For instance, on that day, X^[5] user @lindawg quote tweeted the New York Post, writing, "He was already CEO when he was shot, pre-existing condition. Claim denied," gaining over 11,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Later on December 4th, X^[6] user @bigblackjacobin tweeted a different version of the "Officer Down!" star concerning Thompson's death that was allegedly sent to him by a friend. He captioned the image, "This is how I found out," receiving over 11,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

The news spread on other social media platforms as well. For instance, on December 4th, 2024, Redditor^[9] blixt141 shared the news to the subreddit /r/LeopardsAteMyFace, gaining over 9,200 upvotes in a few hours. Other Redditors^[10][11] shared the news with viral engagement on other subreddits like /r/PublicFreakout and /r/conspiracy on December 4th.

On TikTok,^[13][14] news segments went viral when shared by stations like CBS and the Daily Mail. Memetic reactions also spread on the app, like a video shared by TikToker^[12] @razorbladecactus on December 4th, who joked about his lawyer begging him to not joke about the death of Brian Thompson, gaining over 149,600 plays and 21,800 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Developments

Riley Walz's Citi Bike Tweet

News that the gunman fled on a pay-per-ride Citi Bike spread on social media platforms like X^[7] on December 4th, 2024. However, the claim was later retracted by major news outlets when Lyft, the operator of Citi Bikes, confirmed that the perpetrator did not use its e-bikes.^[21]

Before Lyft denied the claim, on December 4th, X^[8] user Riley Walz (@rtwlz) tweeted, "I am fairly confident of where the UnitedHealthcare assassin escaped to. He escaped on an electric Citi Bike … I happen to continuously scrape Citi Bike data every minute, so I can see where individual bikes go." The user claimed that only one Citi Bike went north during the timeframe and from the specific location. Their tweet received over 9,200 likes in a few hours (shown below).

The tweet was widely mocked by multiple users on X^[17] in the following hours. For instance, on December 4th, X^[18] user @painbuiltt quote tweeted Walz with the Leave the Multibillion-Dollar Company Alone meme, gaining over 28,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Suspect Seen At Starbucks

It was reported by outlets like the New York Post that the unknown killer went to a Midtown Starbucks before the shooting. NYPD released photos of the suspect inside the Starbucks from the location's security camera (shown below).^[15]

The news was integrated into the memes and discourse about the unknown shooter shortly after. For instance, on December 4th, 2024, X^[22] user @venturecommunis tweeted about the gunman thinking, "Gotta get my morning Starbucks latte," despite seemingly being a professional, amassing over 33,000 likes in a day (shown below).

"Deny, Defend, Depose" Etched On Bullets

Late on December 4th, 2024, it was revealed that the shooter etched the words "deny," "defend" and "depose" onto the bullets he shot at Brian Thompson, reportedly in reference to the Jay Feinman book "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It" (cover shown below). The words also drew comparisons between the shooter and the Batman villain The Riddler.

The X^[19] account @BNONews shared the news on the platform from NY1 on December 4th, gathering over 20,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Several internet users reacted to the news, as seen in a meme that referenced Killer Bean posted by X^[20] user @UFObuds on December 4th, gathering over 37,000 likes in a day (shown below).

"Person Of Interest" Unmasked Photos

On December 5th, 2024, new unmasked photos of a "person of interest" were posted by the NYPD on X,^[23] gaining over 1,300 likes in a few hours (shown below). The NYPD didn't initially reveal where the images were sourced from, but outlets like Newsweek and CNN reported that the images had possibly been pulled from a hostel on the Upper West Side in New York City.^[24][25]

Internet users were immediately skeptical, like X^[26] user @benwambo who replied to the NYPD's tweet, writing, "Different backpack, different jacket….only a $10k reward lol. What a joke," gaining over 250 likes over the same timeframe (shown below).

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Anesthesia Cap Controversy

On December 4th, 2024, X^[27] user @TheRealDoctorT tweeted an article headline about Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield limiting the coverage of anesthesia for the full duration of surgical procedures in New York, Connecticut and Missouri.^[29] @TheRealDoctorT wrote, "We are approaching an endgame," gaining over 68,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Outrage over the company's decision mixed with discourse and memes regarding the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. For instance, later on December 4th, X^[28] user @JayChillinBro quoted a headline about Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield's cap on anesthesia, writing, "Tell the CEO to check the news," gaining over 173,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Reverses Anesthesia Cap

On December 5th, 2024, it was reported that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reversed its decision to put a time limit on anesthesia after Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon and New York Governor Kathy Hochul intervened.^[29]

The news generated memes on social media that imagined executives at Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield being scared of retaliation and death. For instance, on December 5th, X^[30] user @marionumber4 posted a You Can't Defeat Me meme about the company being scared of the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, gaining over 590 likes in a day (shown below).

"CEO Down!" Meme Left At Crime Scene

On December 5th, 2024, the Daily Mail shared a TikTok^[31] video showing that an unknown prankster had left a balloon with a "CEO Down!" meme at the scene of Thompson's murder. The video received over 9.2 million plays and 739,000 likes in a day (shown below).

The news also went viral on X^[32] when user @StefJamRecords tweeted an excerpt from the Daily Mail's coverage, writing, "Which of y'all?" receiving over 60,000 likes in a day.

Luigi Mangione Detainment

On December 9th, 2024, Luigi Mangione was detained at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. An elderly person reported him because he matched the description of the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter. On his person, police discovered a manifesto (reportedly related to gripes with the healthcare industry), a fake New Jersey ID (reportedly the same ID used at the UWS hostel) and a "ghost gun" which matched the description of the murder weapon.^[33]

The event inspired a slew of memes and posts using photos of Mangione from his social media accounts on Twitter / X, Instagram, Facebook and Goodreads.

Various Reactions

Search Interest

External References