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Shortly after the death of UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson, New Yorkers held a lookalike contest wherein people were dressed as Thompson's shooter. The NYPD had released CCTV images of the shooter wherein he is seen wearing a mask and a hoodie.
According to a report of the lookalike contest by the NY Post dated December 7, 2024, the contest took place at Washington Square Park.
Eight contestants took part in it, wearing face masks and hooded outerwear. The winner sported a green jacket and covered his face.
Pictures of the contest went viral on the internet and became a discussion topic on Reddit. One of the netizens compared the situation to an episode of Black Mirror- a science-fiction series which explores the dark side of human nature:
Some netizens found it hilarious that people weren't empathetic toward the demise of UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson and were instead organizing a lookalike contest of his shooter:
Some internet users also dubbed the contest a type of dark humor and expressed shock at the same:
Details about UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson
UnitedHealthCare's CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead on December 4, 2024, outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan. According to a report on Thompson's killing by BBC dated December 7, 2024, police believe Thompson's killing was pre-planned, but they haven't found a motive yet.
Investigators are working with the FBI and authorities in other states, expanding the search for UnitedHealthCare's CEO beyond New York by using surveillance photos and the shooter's movements. On December 5, 2024, the NYPD released photos of the suspect without a mask and asked the public to help identify him.
The pictures were taken from a CCTV camera at the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan's Upper West Side where the police believed the suspect stayed.
Additionally, the investigators found bullet casings at the scene of the crime with the words "deny", "defend", and "depose" written on the casings. Investigators believe that the words on the bullet casings could be a reference to the "three D's of insurance" which is a reference made by opponents in the insurance domain.
The three words are similar to the title of a 2010 book by Jay Feinman called "Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It."
The police in the UnitedHealthcare CEO's hometown Maple Grove said that there had been one suspicious incident at Thompson's home in 2018. However, it was cleared because no criminal activity was detected.
Additionally, Brian Thompson's wife mentioned in an interview with MSNBC that there had been some threats against the UnitedHealthCare CEO earlier, the details of which she was unable to provide.
Talking to the New York Post, the winner of the UnitedHealthcare CEO lookalike contest said that he hadn't gotten any looks till he got to the competition and then everyone wanted a picture with him.
The winner's name hasn't been revealed by the publication, however, in his interaction the man expressed how people aren't feeling great about the current state of things in the world, referring to the unsympathetic response Thompson's death has been getting.
