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| You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. A suit and tie murderer. |
A suspect is arrested in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.
The suspect was arrested in Pennsylvania. The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The suspect faces state and federal charges. New York itself could be LIFE without any graduation from the iron college. The U.S. will push for the DEATH card which is likely given how he was using equipment styled to a mafia hit.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, President-elect Donald J. Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City mayor Eric Adams and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro were notified.
Thompson was murdered in broad daylight as he exited a local hotel in Manhattan. The suspect went elusive for over a week.
He made a mistake which got the feds zeroing in on him.
He used the wifi at an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald's.
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police said.
Customers inside the restaurant saw a guy acting weird and told workers. The workers would call the police to report the possibility of the killer being inside.
He had with him a gun and silencer similar to the one used in the shooting, a three-page manifesto, and a fake ID with the same name as the one that the alleged shooter used to check into the Manhattan hostel. The suspect was identified and arrested on local charges in Altoona relating to the gun, but has not yet been charged in relation to the killing. According to a local senior police officer, the manifesto carried by the suspect explicitly mentions UnitedHealthcare, highlights the company's size and significant revenue, and criticizes healthcare companies for prioritizing profits over patient care. The manifesto also reads, "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done", and that "These parasites had it coming".
Two Altoona Police officers walked in and apprehended the suspect without any bullets being fired. What makes this a movie, one of the arresting officers is a rookie.
“A Pennsylvania resident saw something early this morning and said something to our local police,” Shapiro said.
“In some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this, he is no hero,” the Democrat continued. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this morning.”
Thompson's widow, Paulette, released a statement after the killing saying that she and her family are "shattered by the senseless killing" and called her husband an "incredibly loving, generous, talented man" and "incredibly loving father to our two sons". Shortly following the death, two of the houses owned by Thompson's family were swatted.
Many Americans expressed their contempt for Thompson, UnitedHealthcare, and the nation's health insurance system while praising the unknown assailant for his actions. On social media, users shared personal stories of harm and death suffered as a result of claim denials, and joked about the killing with memes and gallows humor. Socialist agitstor Anthony Zenkus, a senior lecturer in social work at Columbia University, said on social media: "Today, we mourn the death of ... Brian Thompson, gunned down ... wait I'm sorry – today we mourn the deaths of 68,000 Americans who needlessly die each year so that insurance company execs like Brian Thompson can become multimillionaires". One physician told The Daily Beast that they believed the perpetrator should be brought to justice, but also stated that Thompson's role as CEO had led to a great amount of suffering and loss of life, which he described as "on the order of millions", adding that "[it is] hard for me to sympathize when so many people have suffered because of his company".
A popular comment on the r/nursing subreddit mocked Thompson's death by emulating a denial of coverage letter for Thompson's emergency care. The assailant received internet attention for his resemblance to actors Timothée Chalamet and Jake Gyllenhaal. A look-alike contest in which contestants tried to look like the suspect was held on December 7 in Washington Square Park.
Prominent conservative commentators, like Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh, received online backlash from their viewership for condemning the criticism of Thompson and for attributing it exclusively to left-wing politics.
The Network Contagion Research Institute found that out of the top ten most engaged-with posts on X that mention Thompson or UnitedHealth, six of them were posts implicitly or explicitly supporting the killing or criticizing Thompson. Some highlighted comments called for further assassinations of CEOs and class war; a researcher at the institute said that the assassination was framed as "some opening blow in a class war" and that praise for the killing came from across the political spectrum. After Thompson's death, UnitedHealthcare's parent company, UnitedHealth Group, published a statement on Facebook detailing the death and their official condolences. Though the post's comment section was deactivated, approximately 90,000 Facebook users responded to the post with a "Haha" (or "laughing") reaction with only 2,200 "Sad" reactions as of December 6.
Zeynep Tufekci, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University and New York Times columnist, said that the public reaction to Thompson's murder "should ring all the alarm bells" and resembled the reaction to the very high levels of corporate greed, exploitation, and economic inequality during the American Gilded Age, a period characterized by violent "political movements that targeted corporate titans, politicians, judges and others". She further stated that, "The concentration of extreme wealth in the United States has recently surpassed that of the Gilded Age. And the will among politicians to push for broad public solutions appears to have all but vanished. I fear that instead of an era of reform, the response to this act of violence and to the widespread rage it has ushered into view will be limited to another round of retreat by the wealthiest." Robert Pape, an expert in political violence at the University of Chicago, told The Guardian that the response of online commentators was indicative of Americans' growing acceptance of violence to settle civil disputes.
UnitedHealthcare has denied millions of claims to people which resulted in heavy out of pocket costs. Thompson was responsible for a majority of this.
His death made every CEO of America's companies fearful.
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| Nasty work. |
A bullet does not care about color. We all bleed red and so many lives are lost to gun violence and Republicans offer no solutions other than "thoughts and prayers" with a touch of "lock em up."
Gun violence is the number one threat in the United States.
I dismiss this ridiculous notion that criminals are the problem, not the guns. Firearms are often obtained through legal purchases.
Again, having more security, teachers being armed and offering safe rooms are not solving the problem. The problem is lawmakers not willing to stop gun violence.
According to the far right: White shooters are mentally ill. Black shooters are unrepentant thugs and criminals. Gay shooters are active groomers. Muslim shooters are terrorists. Hispanic and Asian shooters are illegal immigrants. According to the far right, almost all white [or non-white] mass shooters are registered Democrats [or some progressive activist] because they have liked or done one thing common to the left. Of course, they often share or post disinformation by using the "Sam Hyde" meme or make bogus social media platforms with the shooter's image as a way to denounce most mass shooters being white or associated with conservative causes. The far right says a white person should "protect" themselves from thugs, terrorists or protesters. They believe the use of firearms are "justified" if they are protesting or even instigating a conflict. The far right believes if a shooter is a police officer, an active military member, a veteran or a citizen who supports conservative causes, they are considered a "heroes" and use of firearms are justified. If the shooters are teens in urban communities, the far right automatically assume the gunmen are Black.
The Republicans usually amplify white victims. Anytime a person of color kills a white victim, it is often wall-to-wall coverage on Fox, Twitter and they force it into national news. They make the case to blame Black Lives Matter, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Democrats, Rev. Al Sharpton and rap music for Black on whatever violence. Republican lawmakers who do not live in urban neighborhoods often troll social media to talk about gun violence or crime in Chicago, Baltimore, Milwaukee and New York City while not doing a damn thing to stop it. If a white person shoots a Black person, the shooter is given the benefit of doubt. White shooters are given glowing profiles about their perfect lives and how friends noticed something but refused to do something. When it comes to Black shooters, automatic vilification. They don't see mental illness. They see it as gang violence, allegedly fatherless homes, Democratic policies or the need for more firearms.
The far right and Republicans exploit gun violence in the Black community for culture wars and racism.
So in closing, expect more.
The website Officer Down is a memorial to those police officers who were killed in the line of duty. Those victims who don't get their names or accomplishments mentioned in the junk food media. Also the website the National Gun Violence Memorial also keeps record of the many individuals killed by gun violence. We are tracking police violence as well.
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 988, or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY at 1-800-799-4889. All calls are confidential. Contact social media outlets directly if you are concerned about a friend’s social media updates or dial 911 in an emergency. Learn more on the Lifeline’s website or the Crisis Text Line’s website.
The call number to the White House and U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police.
Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable and you want legislation to curb gun violence. Let them know that we are tired of police officers using immunity when committing death of suspects in custody. Let them know that you are tired of private equity firms getting away with destroying small businesses and long established companies. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. You are tired of hearing about "Israel having a right to..." and the bogus claims of being anti-semitic or in support of terrorism.
We have bigger issues at home and our tax dollars should solve the housing crisis, lowering food prices, fixing roads, bridges, helping reinvest in struggling urban and rural communities. We have hospitals closing, big box retailers leaving communities and television programs dying. There are bigger issues in the country than Israel. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and lawmakers avoid influence from lobbyists.
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