The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “calculated” attack executed by a “sophisticated” assassin, 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.
This post may include affiliate links.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
