New York police issue warning over CEO ‘hit list’

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has warned US healthcare executives of an increased risk to their lives, after ‘wanted’ posters featuring corporate bosses appeared across the city and online, following this week's shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Following the shooting outside a Hilton hotel in central Manhattan by a masked, hooded attacker, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was arrested as a suspect. He appeared in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday and was charged with second-degree murder.

The NYPD bulletin obtained by ABC News highlighted viral posts featuring the names and salaries of several other health insurance CEOs.

“Both prior to and after the suspected perpetrator’s identification and arrest, some online users across social media platforms reacted positively to the killing, encouraged future targeting of similar executives, and shared conspiracy theories regarding the shooting,” the bulletin said.

The ‘wanted’ posters, plastered across Manhattan, include images of industry leaders with text punctuated with bullet shapes, saying Thompson was killed due to medical claims that were rejected by his company.

“UnitedHealthcare killed everyday people for the sake of profit. As a result Brian Thompson was denied his claim to life. Who will be denied next?,” one of the posters read.

“Healthcare CEOs Should Not Feel Safe, Deny, Defend, Depose,” anther wrote.

The NYPD has reportedly suggested that Mangione could be viewed as a “martyr” by some, and encourage other attacks. The bulletin warned that the shooter’s actions have the “capability to inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence.”

The police document also included examples of social media users who justified Thompson’s shooting. 

“My mom was denied chemo multiple times and suffered tremendously they missed her cancer for two years because she was constantly denied… she will have life altering damage because of it. F*** him may he rest in piss,” one person wrote, according to the report.

Another post on Reddit cited in the bulletin lamented corporate influence over the US government.

“The politicians are compromised and the corporations are suffocating us - all CEO’s should be considered. Sucks when your government is bought by these CEO’s who immediately impact the masses.”

Timothy Gallagher, a former FBI agent and the managing director of Nardello and Co, a global investigations firm, told the BBC on Thursday that given the amount of attention to the suspect and the number of people who have their own grievances the “threat of a copycat is real”.