UnitedHealth Group CEO praises murdered CEO Brian Thompson to staff as FBI expert reveals assassin may be 'vigilante'

The CEO of the parent company that oversees UnitedHealthcare praised Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO murdered in Manhattan last week, in a leaked staff video where he also said that the company will continue to prevent "unnecessary care." This comes as FBI agents have revealed that Thompson's murderer may be a "vigilante" on a mission.  

Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told the reporters that the killing of Thompson has all the signs of a planned attack meaning to send a message, per the Daily Mail. Thomspon was shot dead in the early hours of December 4 right outside a Hilton Hotel in Manhattan. Many online have been happy about Thompson's death, even praising the gunman for his actions. 

"This seems much larger, like a vigilante," Coffindaffer told reporters. "Somebody who is well prepared to make a big statement and blames UnitedHealthcare." The agent cited the messages etched into the bullet casings as evidence of the calculated move. The three words that appeared on the casing were "deny," "defend," "depose," words commonly associated with strategies insurance companies use to avoid paying claims. 

This comes as Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, told staff in a video message that he was proud of Thompson and "what this company does on behalf of people in need across the country," the Daily Mail reported. However, backlash against him has ensued due to him telling staff in the video that the company will still prevent the coverage of what he called "unnecessary care." 

“We guard against the pressures that exist for unsafe care or for unnecessary care to be delivered in a way which makes the whole system too complex and ultimately unsustainable," he told staff during the video call, per the New York Post. 

He added that UnitedHealthcare employees should "tune out" those pressuring the company online because the backlash against the corporation, he said, "does not reflect reality." 

The video was leaked to left-wing blogger Ken Klippenstein, the same activist who was suspended from X for doxxing then-vice-presidential candidate JD Vance's home address and other personal information. Many in America have shown frustration that the company does not always cover healthcare considered to be necessary. 

Witty told staffers in the call that few people "in the history of the US healthcare industry [have] had a biggest effect on American healthcare than Brian." He added that UnitedHealthcare would do its job to put "patients, consumers and members" first as the company seeks to "help everyone who needs it within the health environment." 

The suspect who shot Thompson is still at large; however, New York authorities seem to be getting close to catching the shooter, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who said the "net is tightening" around the suspect. The manhunt for the shooter has entered its sixth day as of Monday. It was reported that Monopoly money was also found in the backpack, apparently belonging to the shooter. 

Coffindaffer told the Mail that the money could also be sending a message, possibly symbolizing corporate greed, a signal against the industry's practices. 

"This is not someone acting on impulse," she added. "This is a sign of somebody that is truly narcissistic in nature. They're just trying to really make themselves stand out as this intelligent, smarter than police type figure. That's the motivation here, more than the messaging." 

She later claimed that the shooter likely took a number of steps to plan out the attack, "I think he would have practiced. He would have done the route. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. I'm wondering what family might not be noticing that their loved one was gone."