Companies tighten security after a health care CEO's killing leads to a surge of threats
The killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in New York has prompted health care companies to rethink and increase security for executives
“Wanted” posters with the names and faces of health care executives have been popping up on the streets of New York. Hit lists with images of bullets are circulating online with warnings that industry leaders should be afraid.
The apparent targeted killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the menacing threats that followed have sent a shudder through corporate America and the health care industry in particular, leading to increased security for executives and some workers.
In the week since the brazen shooting, health insurers have removed information about their top executives from company websites, canceled in-person meetings with shareholders and advised all employees to work from home temporarily.
An internal New York Police Department bulletin warned this week that the online vitriol that followed the shooting could signal an immediate “elevated threat.”
Police fear that the Dec. 4 shooting could «inspire a variety of extremists and grievance-driven malicious actors to violence,» according to the bulletin, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
“Wanted” posters pasted to parking meters and construction site fences in Manhattan included photos of health care executives and the words “Deny, defend, depose” — similar to a phrase scrawled on bullets found near Thompson’s body and echoing those used by insurance industry critics.
Thompson's wife, Paulette, told NBC News last week that he told her some people had been threatening him and suggested the threats may have involved issues with insurance coverage.
Investigators believe the shooting suspect, Luigi Mangione, may have
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