Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

“Sophisticated” Assassin “Used Open-Source Info” For UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Hit (Exclusive)
2

“Sophisticated” Assassin “Used Open-Source Info” For UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Hit (Exclusive)

Interview With Expert “Sophisticated” Assassin “Used Open-Source Info” For UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Hit (Exclusive)“Sophisticated And Calculated”: Security Expert Shares Insights On UnitedHealthcare CEO’s AssassinShooter Of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Was “Sophisticated,” Security Expert Exclusively RevealsMan Who Took UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Life Wasn’t “Professional” But “Sophisticated,” Expert SaysSecurity Expert Shares Why UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassin Is Not A “Professional” (Exclusive)UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s Assassin Was “Sophisticated,” Security Expert RevealsGunman “Used Open-Source Information” To Target UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (Exclusive)Expert Reveals Views On UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassin: “Not Professional But Calculated”UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassin “Definitely Had A Change Of Clothes,” Expert Reveals (Exclusive)Security Expert Believes UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Assassin Is Not “Professional” But “Calculated”
ADVERTISEMENT

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “calculated” attack executed by a “sophisticatedassassin, according to a security expert. Speaking three days after the event that rocked the US, Michael Kozhar, vice president of operations at International Security Services, exclusively highlighted the meticulous planning involved, such as the use of a fake ID, studying security weaknesses, and predicting the victim’s movements based on open-source information. 

Highlights
  • Security expert suggests Thompson's murder was a sophisticated, planned attack.
  • Assassin used a silenced gun possibly modeled after a WWII-era weapon.
  • Thompson was facing legal scrutiny and investigation for insider trading.
  • UnitedHealthcare has a high claim-denial rate, double the industry average.
What People Think
  • Security Professional: Focuses on the assassin's calculated plan, emphasizing sophisticated execution despite unprofessional errors.

  • Conspiracy Theorist: Believes the assassination is tied to Thompson's controversial actions and insider trading allegations.

  • Insurance Industry Critic: Argues that UnitedHealthcare's practices and leadership failures led to the backlash culminating in violence.

Thompson was assassinated on December 4 outside his New York City, USA, hotel in what police previously described as a “brazen, targeted attack.” 

The shooter, masked and hooded, waited for Thompson before firing three times and fleeing, with CCTV capturing parts of his movements. 

The assassin’s apparent lack of professionalism was previously noticed by detectives, citing forensic evidence left behind, including a candy wrapper, a phone, and a water bottle.

The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “calculated” attack executed by a “sophisticated” assassin

Image credits: Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images

“NYPD detectives are championing this as their potential breakthrough evidence,” Kozhar told Bored Panda in an email. 

He added: “I’m hoping that forensics will get some feedback from ballistics analysis because the gun used was very unique.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Investigators are considering whether the gunman used a veterinary gun, a firearm designed for quiet, close-range killing, NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny said on Friday (December 6).

Image credits: UnitedHealth Group

Based on the design of the WWII-era British Welrod pistol, the weapon is nearly silent and fires a 9mm round, originally intended for euthanizing animals, CNN reported on Sunday (December 8). 

“He was sophisticated enough to plan this attack well in advance of the event itself,” Kozhar revealed. “It is still surprising that the NYPD has not caught or identified this person within three days.” 

He continued: “One would assume that the public-private partnerships established (camera-sharing, information sharing across departments of different states, etc.) would have pinned this person down yesterday.”

A security expert analyzed the situation

Image credits: CNN

According to the security expert, the assassin, though not a professional, displayed sophistication by meticulously planning the attack, exploiting lax expo security, and predicting the victim’s movements.

ADVERTISEMENT

Kozhar said: “He may not be professional but he was sophisticated. He planned this well in advance, used open-source information to figure out where his target was going to be on a given day. 

“It is still surprising to me but most panelists for every conference are forced to use high-traffic entrances rather than service door entrances.” 

Image credits: NYPDnews

“I think this person analyzed the lax security across many expos ahead of time and figured out that it would be easy to correctly guess which entrances an out-of-state resident would use in order to attack him

“The killer did leave a witness, it would be interesting to know what information she/he (I believe from the video it is a woman) has provided.”

CCTV footage captured the moment the masked assassin stepped out from behind a vehicle and shot Thompson with his silenced handgun, causing him to stumble to the ground as a bystander fled. 

The bystander, believed to be a woman holding a coffee cup, appeared startled and cowered before running from the scene. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Michael Kozhar, vice president of operations at International Security Services, exclusively spoke to Bored Panda 

Image credits: NYPDnews

The assassin’s escape plan was consistent with that of a professional killer, Kozhar revealed, as he said: “[The crime was] consistent [with that of a professional assassination] enough to not be found for three days. 

“A detective who spoke with me claims that he definitely had a change of clothes in his backpack and that he assumes that he did change in Central Park. 

“Like I said he may not be professional but he is sophisticated and calculated.”

Kozhar went on to highlight potential challenges where private investigators could assist, as he said: “[I’m] worried that law enforcement, especially the most well-funded and populous police force, cannot handle the identification of a high-profile murderer in less than three days.” 

Image credits: Amazon

“This is not a knock on law enforcement but it is certainly concerning. Private investigation businesses such as ours would like to know what the challenges are and how we can help.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The suspect appeared to have arrived in Manhattan, New York, 10 days before the shooting, on November 24, The New York Times reported on Sunday. 

The skilled shooter reportedly came on a bus that originated in Atlanta and checked into the HI New York City Hostel on Amsterdam Avenue near 104th Street in Manhattan. 

He checked out on November 29 and then checked back in the next day, as per The New York Times.

Kozhar highlighted the meticulous planning involved

Image credits: International Security Services

ADVERTISEMENT

As per the outlet, when the suspect returned, on November 30, he used a fake New Jersey identification to book a room.

On Thursday (December 5), the police released two surveillance stills of the man who is believed to be the shooter with his mask down. 

The photos appeared to have been taken at the hostel, where he had shared a room with two strangers. It remains unclear when the photos were taken, according to The New York Times.

ADVERTISEMENT

On the morning of December 4, at 6:44 a.m., Thompson walked toward the New York Hilton Hotel, where he was scheduled to host an investors’ conference. 

Image credits: NYPDnews

As he approached, the gunman, who had been lying in wait, shot him in the back before walking toward him to continue firing

The gun appeared to malfunction briefly, but the shooter cleared the jam and resumed shooting. Thompson was critically injured, and law enforcement later found three live nine-millimeter rounds and three discharged casings in front of the hotel, one of which had the words “Deny, Defend, Depose” etched on it.

Those words may have been a message related to Delay, Deny, Defend, the title of a book that discusses how health insurance companies avoid paying patients’ claims, as per The New York Times.

The book, by Jay M. Feinman, a professor emeritus at Rutgers Law School, was published in 2010.

The shooter’s plan involved the use of a fake ID

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: NYPDnews

The discovery reportedly led the police to think the shooter may have been a former employee or client of UnitedHealthcare, or possibly a conspiracy theorist.

The suspect fled northbound through an alley and then used an e-bike to escape toward Central Park. 

Surveillance footage showed him purchasing items at a nearby Starbucks just minutes before the attack. 

Police recovered a phone and water bottle near the crime scene, which they believed may provide crucial clues, but the gun and bike are still being sought.

Image credits: NYPDnews

A Peak Design backpack was recovered during a second sweep in Central Park on Friday. Police examined it at a forensic lab in Queens. 

Inside, they found Monopoly money, CNN reported on Sunday. It also contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket.

A manhunt has been launched to apprehend the suspect. Whoever is able to bring the criminal to justice or provide information on them will be awarded $10,000.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thompson was accused of insider trading and was the subject of an ongoing Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation, Bored Panda previously reported.

The suspect also studied security weaknesses and predicted the victim’s movements based on open-source information

Image credits: NYPDnews

According to legal documents, Thomspon had allegedly offloaded 31 percent of his UnitedHealth stock—totaling $15.1 million—just months before the public was made aware of a federal probe into the company.

Stakeholders then complained against Thompson and other executives, accusing them of antitrust violations.

Adding to the intrigue, the shooting comes at a time when the company is facing increasing scrutiny over its practices, with more than 33,000 pending lawsuits accusing the usurer of denying coverage to patients in need, particularly the elderly.

Thompson, who died at the age of 50, had worked for UnitedHealthcare for more than two decades.

Image credits: International Security Services

UnitedHealthcare is a company that is part of UnitedHealth Group, a health insurance conglomerate valued at five hundred and 60 billion dollars. 

ADVERTISEMENT

UnitedHealthcare had two hundred and eighty-one billion dollars in revenue in 2023, and Thompson, who became CEO in 2021, had raised annual profits from twelve billion dollars to sixteen billion dollars during his tenure, The New Yorker reported on Saturday (December 7).

UnitedHealthcare has the highest claim-denial rate of any private insurance company: at thirty-two percent, it is double the industry average, as per The New Yorker

Moreover, UnitedHealthcare reportedly insures almost a third of the patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage, a government-funded program facilitated by private insurance companies, which receive a flat fee for each patient they cover and then produce their own profits by minimizing each patient’s care costs. 

Thompson was assassinated on December 4 outside his New York City hotel

Image credits: kat wilcox/Pexels (Not the actual photo)

Private insurance companies, including UnitedHealthcare, which cover a large portion of American seniors on Medicare, are reportedly overbilling Medicare by billions of dollars annually. 

ADVERTISEMENT

UnitedHealthcare acquired NaviHealth in 2020, a company whose algorithm for managing patient care has been criticized for high error rates and controversial decisions, such as cutting off necessary care for patients. 

A class-action lawsuit has highlighted troubling patient outcomes, but UnitedHealthcare denies the claims. 

At the same time, the company has fought legal decisions involving denied coverage for high-risk patients, with critics arguing that there is insufficient regulation to prevent such practices.

“The reward isn’t going to work,” a reader speculated

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

Read less »
Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

Lei RV

Lei RV

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

Read less »

Lei RV

Lei RV

Author, BoredPanda staff

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
Bart
Community Member
2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Murdered guy became a billionaire while exploiting healthcare? How many did he drive into addiction or suicide while doing that? I'll probably buy the masked guy a beer if he walks into the pub...

Corwin 02
Community Member
2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am surprised this hasn't happened a lot sooner. American Insurance company practices are revolting and they ought to be government regulated.

Sam
Community Member
2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they spend millions on campaign contributions so that the lawmakers DON'T regulate them. And this entire system of HMO abuse was literally proposed by Ehrlichman during the Nixon Administration. Bunch of con men, figured out a Mafia skim, to take buckets of the health care dollars and put it in their pockets. Too often our society is run by criminal goons.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
Bart
Community Member
2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Murdered guy became a billionaire while exploiting healthcare? How many did he drive into addiction or suicide while doing that? I'll probably buy the masked guy a beer if he walks into the pub...

Corwin 02
Community Member
2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am surprised this hasn't happened a lot sooner. American Insurance company practices are revolting and they ought to be government regulated.

Sam
Community Member
2 days ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

they spend millions on campaign contributions so that the lawmakers DON'T regulate them. And this entire system of HMO abuse was literally proposed by Ehrlichman during the Nixon Administration. Bunch of con men, figured out a Mafia skim, to take buckets of the health care dollars and put it in their pockets. Too often our society is run by criminal goons.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda