Business executives, health insurance industry employees and law enforcement officials are facing threats and harassment after this week’s arrest of a man accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. It is reported that
The brazen murders that took place on the streets of New York City a week ago have been widely condemned by political and business leaders, who nevertheless characterize the crime as a symbolic repudiation of the nation’s health care system. For some people in the United States, the masked gunman has suddenly become a celebrity. .
An attorney for Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, said Mangione intends to plead not guilty to all charges.
Authorities fear the shooting incident could prompt copycat attacks.
Social media posts Wednesday showed images of “wanted” posters posted in Manhattan featuring photos of the CEOs of at least two health insurance companies. The posters accuse executives of “denying medical care for corporate profits.”
The posters, many of which have since been removed, included the words “denial,” “defense,” and “abandonment,” which were associated with shell casings found at the crime scene. The term is also used in products sold online that glorify killing.
One of the companies named on the poster declined to comment, and the other did not respond to requests.
It is unclear who performed the stunt.
Kathryn Wilde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, an advocacy group for New York City’s business community, spoke out about the incident involving two CEOs over the weekend. He said he heard it. One person received an anthrax threat and the other received an anthrax threat. bomb. These leaders are not from the medical industry, she added.
“In the corporate world, they don’t want attention, and they want to keep it as low as possible,” Wilde says.
“It’s dangerous,” she added. “They don’t want to be the focus. None of the CEOs want to be at the center of this discussion because they feel like they’re going to be targeted.”
Rebecca Weiner, the NYPD’s deputy chief of intelligence and counterterrorism, said Wednesday that Thompson’s killing resembled a domestic terrorist attack and could cause an “epidemic.”
The murder is “already reflected in the maelstrom of online abuse we have been in since last Wednesday, with the alleged perpetrator being hailed as a hero,” Weiner said in Washington, D.C. I said this at an event. for the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank.
“When we are concerned about terrorism, it is in part because of the devastating impact of certain acts of violence,” she added.
Industry leaders aren’t the only ones feeling at risk.
A UnitedHealthcare employee, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of personal safety and job loss, said employees at the company had received threats over the phone last week. Some are from members who are angry about their claims, while others are from people looking to vent their general frustrations with the company.
The employee said he was aware of calls involving threats to blow up the UnitedHealthcare building and that one caller had recently asked for details about the employee’s children.
“Another employee told me, ‘This is why your CEO got shot, and if you’re not careful, you’re going to be next,'” the employee said.
The employee added that company employees have scripts in place to de-escalate calls and are encouraged to take advantage of employee assistance programs that provide therapy. But the employees were “obviously exhausted, obviously overwhelmed and crying,” the employee said, with some having to step away from their phones to recover.
“We want people to understand that the person they’re calling or talking to is just as vulnerable to injustice as they are,” the employee said. “We’re not elites. We’re not sitting here twiddling our thumbs just thinking you’re not going to be approved.”
Mangione was arrested on Monday after a multi-day manhunt in multiple states, which ended when he was found at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The customer alerted the employee, who alerted authorities.
At a news conference, Gov. Josh Shapiro praised “fellow Pennsylvanians who acted as heroes.”
But Altoona Police Deputy Chief Derek Swope told reporters Tuesday that threats were made after the arrest in a “very polarizing incident.”
“We have received several threats against our officers and the building here. We have begun investigating several threats against some residents in our community,” Swope said. “We take all of these threats seriously and are following up on them to the best of our ability.”
Mangione did not say whether employees at the McDonald’s where he was arrested were threatened. The restaurant has received a barrage of negative reviews online, with one suggesting that there were “rats in the kitchen”.
Mr. Mangione was charged with murder and weapons possession and remains incarcerated in Pennsylvania, contesting extradition to New York.
Two sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that Mangione was found with a notebook in addition to the previously reported handwritten letter.
In the note, he wrote that he wanted to target the CEO at a conference with a gun, stating that he preferred such methods over other means such as explosive devices to avoid harming others. has been done.
Mr. Mangione’s lawyer, Thomas Dickey, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the alleged notebook.
Wilde said he understands why some people are unhappy with the way certain industries are run, and they should be able to express their feelings. But “the violence, fear and mistrust unleashed has a chilling effect on cooperation and tolerance in working together,” she said.
“Violent actions do not lead to constructive solutions,” she added. “It will only plunge our society into further conflict and paralysis.”
