Killing of Brian Thompson

Brian Robert Thompson (July 10, 1974 – December 4, 2024), 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 December 9, 2024, authorities arrested 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and charged him in a Manhattan court with Thompson's killing. Authorities say 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 pled 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. United States Attorney General Pam Bondi 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 American adult respondents are more likely than not to find the killing unacceptable, with younger and more left-leaning respondents more likely to view the killing as acceptable or to sympathize with the killer. 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 industry – primarily regarding claim denial practices. Inquiries about protective services and security for CEOs and corporate executives surged following the killing.