UnitedHealthcare CEO Assassinated In NYC

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

 

[Anya Ristow]

Do not jump to conclusions based on the accuracy of a CNN report. Wait until we know how much of that is official and how much of it was carelessly spoken.

Problem points I see:

The gun used does not have a silencer. Its normal function is to shoot subsonically, making it quieter. [EDIT: inaccurate, more information in later comments]

That the ID used at the hostel was found on a guy days later seems sketch. That may be careless speaking, it may be speculation heard second hand and repeated as fact, it may be planted to test reaction or manufacture compliance...

If they really found on him everything they need to link him to the crime, that was mighty convenient (and stupid).

Hell, the whole story may be fabricated to shake loose some careless accidental clues. I'm not going to be shocked if, after some more info is shaken loose (or not shaken loose) we get an admission that this wasn't the guy.

 

[Casey Pelous]

.... The gun used does not have a silencer. Its normal function is to shoot subsonically, making it quieter....

The weapon in the shooting video definitely had a "silencer" (TV/Movie term). Firearms types know it as a "suppressor." Its main job is to minimize the muzzle flash but it does somewhat lower the loudness of the shots. Never like the "pfft" sound in the movies -- but low enough to keep his shots from being heard very far away in a noisy urban setting.

The gun is not what makes a round subsonic—the ammunition is either subsonic or supersonic. Speculation- and so far as I know, it is purely speculation by internet gun "experts"*—is that he used subsonic rounds to avoid "through-and-through" shots, which have a chance of injuring bystanders. Because subsonic rounds have less recoil, and recoil is what operates the semi-automatic mechanism, the "experts'" theory is that this is why his gun supposedly malfunctioned.

A far more believable theory about those "malfunctions" revolves around the unfired rounds with the writing on them. The weapon appears to be a semi-automatic pistol, which means when it goes bang it ejects the spent cartridge and loads up another round. If you "cycle the mechanism", as the shooter does in the video, it will eject the unfired round and load up another from the magazine. Since the unfired rounds were the ones with writing on them, it looks like he was deliberately ejecting those rounds (which he had stacked in the magazine) between his shots.

All of which really supports your skepticism about these reports. We're to believe this guy planned and executed this like some sort of Mission Impossible caper but then he kept the gun and stuff with him? Anybody who has ever seen a bad Mafia movie knows that's wrong. Is he going to turn out to be some sort of arrogant tech bro type who got sloppy because he was convinced he was smarter than every law enforcement agency in the US? Or did he have a few more targets in mind?

* Probably the same experts who graced us with their wisdom about immunology, vaccinology, and epidemiology during COVID.

 

[Noodles]

And now it looks like they have a guy arrested in PA with a gun, with suppressor, using multiple IDs. If that's true, the guy is really not as smart as some people were claiming. Who keeps the murder weapon on them? smh

Yeah, especially since it was apparently a 3D Printed weapon. Just shred that thing.

 

[Noodles]

I always get a kick put of this clip on the subject of supressors/silencers.

 

[Anya Ristow]

Last I heard it was a veterinary weapon, but now I see this (though it's three days old now)...

What We Know About Gun Used in UnitedHealth CEO Assassination [Newsweek]

TLDR:

possibly a Brügger & Thomet Station Six, a modern reproduction of the British Welrod—a silenced pistol designed for covert operations during World War II ... they're mostly used for veterinary purposes. It's a modern reproduction of a historical assassination weapon ... required manual cycling for each shot, mimicking the Welrod's functionality ... "He fired three rounds, and three live rounds were recovered, meaning he cycled the gun six times," Wolf said. "The ammunition is stored in a magazine, but the shooter must manually pull the bolt back and push it forward for each shot." ... [and some stuff about his stance that make him look unprofessional]

Speculation- and so far as I know, it is purely speculation by internet gun "experts"*—is that he used subsonic rounds to avoid "through-and-through" shots, which have a chance of injuring bystanders.

Hollow point will do that, too. They're designed to break up, which both does more damage to people and reduces penetration.

Since the unfired rounds were the ones with writing on them, it looks like he was deliberately ejecting those rounds

From what I understand, there was one unspent and two spent rounds with writing on them (or the reverse). The casing would be available for either if he didn't "police his brass."

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I always get a kick put of this clip on the subject of supressors/silencers.

I never watched the wick movies and am not a firearms expert so I'm missing some context here. what is demonstrated in this clip?

 

[Anya Ristow]

FWIW, if you can't tell, I do want him to be caught, and before he strikes again. I don't think anyone should get away with murder. But on the other hand, there's still some mileage to be had from the too-comfortable elite in the media, corporate class, and politicians, being appalled at our reaction to this, uh..., tragedy.

 

[Anya Ristow]

Here's another motivation for leaking inaccurate progress on the investigation: quelling copy-cats.

Here's how that works, if the last eight or so years is any measure: If a CNN guest's statement of "the fake ID used at the hostel was found on a man at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania" turns out to be inaccurate, nobody is going to be held accountable for that. If the NYC police commissioner says so in a news conference, it holds a lot more weight.

EDIT: The NYC police commissioner has now said in a news conference that the guy they picked up in PA had on him the fake ID that was used to check in to the NYC hostel. And with all the other shit he had on him, it does appear they've caught the shooter.

 

[Anya Ristow]

I never watched the wick movies and am not a firearms expert so I'm missing some context here. what is demonstrated in this clip?

I didn't see the original, so I'm just assuming that it was hollywoodized. The silencers were really silent, so two guys were shooting at each other in a crowded hallway and nobody noticed. But in this (edited, I presume) clip, the silencers were more realistic, and not silent at all, and the scene makes a lot less sense.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

FWIW, if you can't tell, I do want him to be caught, and before he strikes again. I don't think anyone should get away with murder. But on the other hand, there's still some mileage to be had from the too-comfortable elite in the media, corporate class, and politicians, being appalled at our reaction to this, uh..., tragedy.

This is my thinking too. It was murder and of course he needs to go to jail for it. First-degree homicide isn't unjustly illegal by any means. But also, I'm not going to go along with the media push to depict this murder as especially heinous or significant or acting like there's a more wide and fervent public cry for justice in this case compared to other murders.

 

[Noodles]

I never watched the wick movies and am not a firearms expert so I'm missing some context here. what is demonstrated in this clip?

In movies, silencers make little "pewt pewt" noises.

If they were "realistic", they would be quite loud and everyone in this crowded terminal would still notice.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

In movies, silencers make little "pewt pewt" noises.

If they were "realistic", they would be quite loud and everyone in this crowded terminal would still notice.

I didn't see the original, so I'm just assuming that it was hollywoodized. The silencers were really silent, so two guys were shooting at each other in a crowded hallway and nobody noticed. But in this (edited, I presume) clip, the silencers were more realistic, and not silent at all, and the scene makes a lot less sense.

I get what you mean. Suppressed firearms are still more than loud enough for people in the room to know what you're doing. Everything about that scene looked weird.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

I do hope he's caught, alive, so that he can take the stand and go on the record with something like:

"I stopped a mass murderer that you failed to bring to justice. If you had done YOUR job, I wouldn't have had to. Yes, I killed one person. You're accomplices in the deaths of thousands by failing to hold him and his company accountable, over and over and over. When you fail to impose justice, individuals like me will rise up and take it into their own hands. You can stop us one at a time, but you'll never know where the next one is coming from. DO YOUR JOB, hold the healthcare 'providers' accountable for their malfeasance, or continue to stand aside and let the people do it themselves."

 

[Isabeau]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/dec/09/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-brian-thompson-suspect-police-latest-updates

Here’s the latest. Police recovered a handwritten document on Luigi Mangione when they apprehended him that detailed his motivations. One line from the document read: “These parasites had it coming,” according to CNN. “I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done,” it continued.

In the document, Mangione went on to detail his frustrations with the healthcare industry, asking why the US has the most expensive healthcare in the world but is rated 42 in life expectancy. The US was ranked 49th in life expectancy as of 2022 and is expected to drop to 66th in the world in 2050, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

The note also said he was self-funded and acted alone.

 

[Isabeau]

Let’s hope the other CEO’s are also brought to justice for all the murders they've committed. Oh wait, that isn’t going to happen.

 

[detrius]

FWIW, if you can't tell, I do want him to be caught, and before he strikes again. I don't think anyone should get away with murder. But on the other hand, there's still some mileage to be had from the too-comfortable elite in the media, corporate class, and politicians, being appalled at our reaction to this, uh..., tragedy.

A NY jury just acquitted Daniel Penny - who had been on trial for choking a homeless man to death in a subway train.

And then there are people like Kyle Rittenhouse, George Zimmerman and Daniel Perry (who got pardoned by Greg Abbott).

Also, Brian Thompson himself was responsible for thousands of deaths.

It seems to me that people getting away with murder is a common occurrence in America - or rather, that it's only considered "murder" if the culprit isn't a conservative white male.

I honestly believe America has reached a point where it's okay to say "I don't care if this guy gets away with it".

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

Yeah, especially since it was apparently a 3D Printed weapon. Just shred that thing.

I told Spawn that he was too confident in his ability to outsmart the authorities, and that would end up being his undoing. If he had any sense, he'd have gotten the hell out of the country. How hard could it have been to take a bus to Newark Airport and jump on a plane to who cares where? He could have been long gone before any pics of him were put out.

Although the charges should only be state - I am betting they'll try to make them federal, so that the death penalty will be in play. They're going to want to make an example of him. They don't want us peasants getting froggy.

And if you think they can't make the charges federal - Google: Brent Simmons, murder, Harrisonburg.

 

[Free]

He knows his books.

 

[Noodles]

I got one too.