Overview

The Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson refers to the murder of 50-year-old Brian Thompson, the CEO of American multinational health insurance and services company UnitedHealthcare, in Midtown, Manhattan, New York. Thompson was shot down by an unknown gunman in front of a Hilton Hotel early in the morning of December 4th, 2024. CCTV footage of the shooting leaked on Twitter / X and Reddit soon after. In the security camera video, the gunman is seen wearing a dark grey or black hoodie and a light-colored backpack. He notably appears to use a sidearm with a silencer to kill Thompson and reportedly fled on a pay-per-ride Citi Bike. The event quickly became international news as it spawned numerous memes and viral reactions in early December 2024, many of which mocked or celebrated Thompson's death due to controversies with healthcare in the U.S.

Background

At approximately 6:04 a.m. EST on December 4th, 2024, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan by an unknown assailant. Thompson was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital according to the New York Police Department.^[1][2]

The gunman is believed to have used a pistol with a silencer in the killing, striking Thompson in the calf and the back as he fired multiple shots. The shooter then fled on foot and later on a Citi Bike. He was last seen entering Central Park, according to NYPD.^[2]

The suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan appeared to be "lying in wait for several minutes" for "his intended target," police say. He fled and was last seen in Central Park in the morning.Thompson was struck at least once in the… pic.twitter.com/wpeIxyHB6z

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 4, 2024

At an NYPD police conference held on December 4th, a poster was photographed by the New York Times^[1] showing CCTV footage stills of the suspect at the scene of the crime and fleeing on an e-bike (shown below).

According to the New York Post^[15] in an article from later on December 4th, 2024, the gunman was also spotted inside a Starbucks location near the shooting, with the NYPD releasing new photos from the CCTV footage at the coffee shop that showed the shooter standing in front of the counter. It's unknown if he purchased anything.

Brian Thompson Shooting Video

On December 4th, 2024, X^[3] user @Jake_Hanrahan (among others) posted a leaked video of the surveillance footage showing the murder of Brian Thompson at the Hilton Hotel (shown below). The suspect is seen in a dark grey hoodie, wearing a light gray-colored backpack.

The gunman can also be more clearly seen using what seems to be a silencer at the end of a handgun and is seen manually pulling back the slide of the firearm in between shots as it fails to cycle (which can happen when a suppressor is used and when subsonic rounds are used^[16]) or catching his shell casings, according to some X^[4] users commenting on the footage. He then flees on foot. @Jake_Hanrahan's post received over 3,700 likes in a few hours.

Shocking and horrifying footage of the brutal murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City this morning. pic.twitter.com/qVbFVXYDVy

— Eric Manyikah (@EManyikah) December 4, 2024

Online Reactions

On December 4th, 2024, viral reactions and posts about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson surfaced on social media. For instance, on that day, X^[5] user @lindawg quote tweeted the New York Post, writing, "He was already CEO when he was shot, pre-existing condition. Claim denied," gaining over 11,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Later on December 4th, X^[6] user @bigblackjacobin tweeted a different version of the "Officer Down!" star concerning Thompson's death that was allegedly sent to him by a friend. He captioned the image, "This is how I found out," receiving over 11,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

The news spread on other social media platforms as well. For instance, on December 4th, 2024, Redditor^[9] blixt141 shared the news to the subreddit /r/LeopardsAteMyFace, gaining over 9,200 upvotes in a few hours. Other Redditors^[10][11] shared the news with viral engagement on other subreddits like /r/PublicFreakout and /r/conspiracy on December 4th.

On TikTok,^[13][14] news segments went viral when shared by stations like CBS and the Daily Mail. Memetic reactions also spread on the app, like a video shared by TikToker^[12] @razorbladecactus on December 4th, who joked about his lawyer begging him to not joke about the death of Brian Thompson, gaining over 149,600 plays and 21,800 likes in a few hours (shown below).

The news that the suspect fled on a Citi Bike went viral on social media as well. For instance, on December 4th, 2024, X^[7] user @lkmcgann tweeted, "UPDATE: It was a Citi Bike!!!" gaining over 13,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Riley Walz's Citi Bike Tweet

Also on December 4th, X^[8] user Riley Walz (@rtwlz) tweeted, "I am fairly confident of where the United Healthcare assassin escaped to. He escaped on an electric Citibike … I happen to continuously scrape Citibike data every minute, so I can see where individual bikes go." The user claimed that only one Citi Bike went north during the timeframe and from the specific location. Their tweet received over 9,200 likes in a few hours (shown below).

The tweet was widely mocked by multiple users on X^[17] in the following hours. For instance, on December 4th, X^[18] user @painbuiltt quote tweeted Walz with the "Leave the multibillion-dollar company alone" meme, gaining over 28,000 likes in a few hours (shown below).

Various Reactions

Search Interest

External References