Killing of Brian Thompson


Brian Thompson, the CEO of the American health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on December 4, 2024. The shooting occurred early in the morning outside an entrance to the New York Hilton Midtown. The suspect, initially described as a white man wearing a mask, fled the scene. The words "delay", "deny", and "depose" were inscribed on the cartridge cases used during the shooting. Thompson had previously faced criticism for the company's rejection of insurance claims, and his family reported that he had received death threats.
On December9, 2024, authorities arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and charged him in a Manhattan court with Thompson's killing. Authorities allege that when Mangione was apprehended, he was carrying a 3D-printed pistol and a 3D-printed suppressor consistent with those used in the attack; a short handwritten letter criticizing the American healthcare system; an American passport; and multiple fraudulent IDs, including one with the same name used to check into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Authorities also said his fingerprints matched the partial smudged prints that investigators found near the New York shooting scene. Authorities believe Mangione was motivated by "what he perceives as a 'parasitic' health insurance company and industry as a whole, as well as broader objections to corporate greed and a concern for modern society".
Mangione was arraigned in Altoona on December 9, 2024. After waiving extradition in Pennsylvania, he appeared in a federal court in New York City on December 19. On December 23, he was arraigned in the New York Supreme Court and pleaded not guilty to New York state charges. Mangione has been indicted on eleven state charges and four federal charges; the charges include first degree murder, murder in furtherance of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon, and stalking. His terrorism-related murder charges in the New York state's case were dismissed in September 2025; he still faces a charge of second-degree murder. In January 2026, a judge dismissed two federal charges, ruling that prosecutors could not seek the death penalty against Mangione. Pam Bondi, the United States attorney general, had previously directed the federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in Mangione's federal case.
Thompson's death received widespread attention in the United States and led to polarized reactions. Several public officials expressed dismay and offered condolences to Thompson's family, while many used the event to call attention to the practices of the US health insurance industry. Opinion polls have shown that a majority of American adult respondents find the killing unacceptable, but with a plurality of younger respondents viewing the killing as acceptable, and a majority of Americans believing that denials of health care coverage and profits made by health insurance companies contributed to the UnitedHealthcare CEO's death. On social media, reactions to the killing included widespread contempt and mockery toward Thompson and UnitedHealth Group, sympathy and praise for Mangione, and broader criticism of the American healthcare system and health insurance industryprimarily regarding claim denial practices.

Background

Thompson and UnitedHealthcare

Brian Robert Thompson was the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group, from April 2021 until his death. He had worked for UnitedHealthcare since 2004. UnitedHealthcare insures 49 million Americans and generated $281 billion in revenue for the 2023 fiscal year. Under his leadership, UHC's profits increased from $12 billion in 2021 to $16 billion in 2023, and his total annual compensation was $10.2 million. At the time of Thompson's death, the company was the largest health insurer in the United States.
UnitedHealthcare has repeatedly faced criticism for its approach to handling claims. It and other insurers were named in an October 2024 report from the United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations showing a surge in prior authorization denials for Medicare Advantage patients. Reports of increasing rates of prior authorization denials prompted investigations by ProPublica and the United States Senate, investigations which were described as a "stain" on Thompson's time of leadership by Fortune. According to Thompson's widow, he had been receiving threats related to a "lack of coverage". In May 2024, a lawsuit was filed against Thompson along with Stephen Hemsley and two other senior executives for alleged fraud and insider trading due to failing to disclose an antitrust investigation into the company by the United States Department of Justice and by selling stock options before the probe was made public.

Suspected assailant's preparations

The suspect arrived in New York City on November24, 2024, on a Greyhound bus. The bus route began in Atlanta, Georgia, but authorities do not know from which city or town he boarded. The day of his arrival, he checked into the HI New York City Hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with a falsified New Jersey identification card; he paid for his stay in cash. He stayed at the hostel for all but one night of the 10 days he was in New York City, checking out on December3.

Killing

Thompson was in New York City for an annual UnitedHealth Group investors' meeting, having arrived from Minneapolis on December 2, 2024. On December 4, at around 6:45 a.m. EST, Thompson was walking along West 54th Street toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel that was hosting the meeting. The assailant waited across the street from the hotel for several minutes, then crossed over when he saw Thompson. Standing approximately away from Thompson when he arrived at the entrance, the assailant fired three times at him from a suppressed 9 mm pistol, striking him in the back and right calf. Three spent bullet casings were found at the scene, along with three ejected live rounds.
In the closed-circuit television camera recording of the killing, the shooter manually cycles the gun action after each shot, leading observers to believe that his weapon was a malfunctioning semi-automatic pistol. The authorities believe it to be the weapon they found in the suspect's bag after his arresta partially 3D-printed Glock 19 and 3D-printed suppressor. The ghost gun consists of a 3D-printed lower receiver, metal slide, unserialized Glock 19 internals from a parts kit, including a threaded barrel, and uses a standard Glock magazine. The 3D-printed part's design was an iteration of "FMDA 19.2", a design released in 2021 by the libertarian group Deterrence Dispensed.
The killer fled the scene on an e-bike to Central Park; there, near the Carousel, he shed a backpack containing Monopoly money and a jacket before exiting the west end of the park at 77th Street. According to the police, he then left the city from the George Washington Bridge Bus Station farther uptown in Upper Manhattan. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. According to a later autopsy report, Thompson died from a gunshot wound to the back of the torso.

Timeline

  • November 24, 10:11 p.m. – An unknown suspect arrives at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan on a Greyhound bus which originated in Atlanta, Georgia, and makes up to seven stops en route.
  • November 24 – Suspect checks into the HI New York City Hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His unmasked face was caught on CCTV during the check-in process. The suspect had two hostel roommates who said he would slip down his mask only when eating.
  • November 24 – Suspect cases the New York Hilton Midtown hotel.
  • November 29 – Suspect checks out of the HI New York City Hostel.
  • November 30 – Suspect checks back into the HI New York City Hostel.
  • December 4:
  • * 5:34 a.m. – Suspect leaves the hostel, and rides an e-bike to Midtown.
  • * 6:15 a.m. – Suspect is seen leaving the 57th Street F Train subway stop.
  • * 6:17 a.m. – Suspect buys coffee, water, and granola bars at a Starbucks café two blocks away from the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, discarding the coffee cup and water bottle.
  • * 6:30 a.m. – Surveillance footage captures the suspect walking while talking on the phone.
  • * 6:39 a.m. – Suspect arrives in front of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel and waits for several minutes.
  • * 6:40 a.m. – Thompson leaves the Marriott hotel he stayed at the prior night, heading toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel.
  • * 6:44 a.m. – Thompson walks along the sidewalk toward the New York Hilton Midtown hotel and the assailant shoots him multiple times, racking his pistol after it appeared to jam; the suspect immediately flees northbound via a pedestrian walkway.
  • * 6:46 a.m. – Police respond to a 911 call reporting that a person has been shot.
  • * 6:48 a.m. – Officers arrive on scene and find Thompson with multiple gunshot wounds to his back and leg; he is taken to the hospital.
Assailant is seen riding an electric bicycle north into Central Park.
  • * 6:59 a.m. – A person appearing to be the suspect is seen riding a bike on West 85th St.
  • * 7:04 a.m. – Suspect gets into a northbound taxi on 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
  • * 7:12 a.m. – Thompson is declared dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital.
  • * 7:30 a.m. – Suspect arrives at George Washington Bridge Bus Station.

    Investigation

Three fired cartridge cases alongside three unfired cartridges were found at the scene. The words "delay", "deny", and "depose" were written on the cases. "Depose" was inscribed on a casing from a round fired into Thompson, while "delay" was marked on an unfired cartridge ejected as the shooter appeared to be clearing a jam. The three words are similar to the phrase "Delay, Deny, Defend", a phrase adopted by critics of the American healthcare industry alluding to health insurance companies' efforts to not pay out claims. Accordingly, police stated they were investigating whether the words suggest the killer's motive.
A water bottle, candy wrapper, and phone were recovered from the scene and are believed to be connected to the shooter. Police said they believed they found the shooter's backpack in Central Park on December 6, 2024. The backpack contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money.
The New York City Police Department offered a reward up to $10,000 for information about the shooter on December 4, 2024. The following day, authorities released images of a suspect taken by surveillance cameras at the hostel and a Starbucks café. Two stills show the suspect's face, including one with him smiling widely at a female desk attendant at the hostel. Sources told CBS the front desk worker asked to "see his pretty smile." The FBI joined the investigation and separately offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The shooter was described by police as a white man, approximately tall, wearing a light brown or cream-colored hooded jacket, dark pants, and black sneakers with white soles. He had a gray backpack and concealed his face with a black face mask. Police said the suspect appeared to be proficient in the use of firearms and was described as being "extremely camera savvy".