Today is a day of mourning. In broad daylight, in the city I love, Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s insurance subsidiary, was murdered. According to CNN:
Brian Thompson was walking toward the New York Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, dressed in a suit and tie, to attend UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor conference being held in the ballroom.
A gunman, who investigators tell CNN was masked in the sub-freezing temperatures, waited for about 10 minutes before Thompson’s arrival, before opening fire from 20 feet away shooting multiple times, striking Thompson.
The gunman fled, cutting through an alleyway and hopping on to a bicycle, the official told CNN. Investigators are continuing to canvas the area. Police currently believe that the suspect fled into Central Park.
Brian was 50 years old. I don't know the man, personally. I do know that he was doing his job, and somebody murdered him in cold blood.
This is not the way. Assassinations are not how we resolve disputes in a civil society. I get frustrated with United Healthcare, and I make fun of them for some of their decisions. This should never be mistaken for malice: these people are doing their jobs, just like the rest of us. They need to feel safe to make good decisions. They deserve to feel safe, even if they make what some might consider bad decisions.
There is no level of a bad decision in a business context that gives anybody the right to put a bullet in your chest.
I don't know why this masked shooter did it; I'm guessing this was somebody with a rationale of their own. We'll find out—or we won’t. But none of us should celebrate this; everyone should decry targeted violence.
It's also worth noting that United Healthcare's decisions have made people tremendously angry. Your anger about a business policy isn’t an excuse to joke about someone’s murder. This is a man with a family, friends, and loved ones.
This isn’t remotely funny. This isn’t ok. Mr. Thompson and all of us deserved better.
Let’s all get on our knees and pray that this sort of violence leaves our cities and threatens our lives no more. We can have disputes about best practices and employment law like adults, but never, ever should we make light of the murder of a man who deserved dignity and life.
Today, I stand unapologetically and without hesitation with UnitedHealthcare and its team. You are loved and deserve better. I hope and pray for justice and healing.