Following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and praise for the attack on social media, law enforcement is on high alert as calls for threats against health care executives and their families become “widespread,” according to a Colorado law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News.
The bulletin warned that Thompson’s killing may be used as “messaging and propaganda” to share the techniques and tactics for targeting other health care companies.
“Over the last two years, online activity has indicated a growing negative sentiment around conglomerates, the wealthy, and executive staff at private and public organizations,” the bulletin said. “Calls for targeting the executive team, their families, homes, and places of work using a variety of online and offline means to harass, disrupt, and harm the individuals and the organizations have become widespread.”
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The brazen killing of Thompson in New York last week was met with both grief and morbid praise on social media, with some voicing support for the suspected shooter as justified and venting about the healthcare insurance industry.
The bulletin noted the “general social media conversations” that followed Thompson’s killing highlighted the “growing negative sentiment around conglomerates, the wealthy, and executive staff at private and public organizations.”
ABC News obtained this photo of the suspect.
Obtained by ABC News
While law enforcement does not believe Thompson’s killing is part of a trend targeting health executives, the attack underscores the vulnerability of these high-profile executives.
The bulletin called for companies to review their security measures and “to safeguard executives against potential threats stemming from organizational decisions, public grievances, or personal visibility.”
“This attack and the general social media conversations highlight the current threat landscape that individuals with deeply held personal grievances can and do conduct violence to satiate their grievance(s),” the bulletin said.
Luigi Mangione, 26, is facing a second-degree murder charge in New York City in connection with the fatal shooting of Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last week.
