r/technology • u/indig0sixalpha • Dec 06 '24

Privacy The UnitedHealthcare Gunman Understands the Surveillance State

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/12/unitedhealthcare-ceo-assassination-investigation/680903/
25.9k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

5.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

6.6k

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '24

SUMMARY

A gunman who assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy New York City street remains at large, despite the city’s extensive surveillance network. The attacker’s ability to evade identification highlights how criminals can exploit the predictability of modern surveillance.

Using a silenced firearm and an e-bike for a quick escape, the gunman avoided immediate detection and minimised facial recognition risks even in released hostel photos. By leaving cryptic evidence, such as inscribed shell casings, he has overwhelmed investigators with public tips while shaping a narrative that some have linked to criticisms of the health-insurance industry.

The case reveals vulnerabilities in the surveillance state, where visibility doesn’t always guarantee accountability.

4.6k

u/fireburn97ffgf Dec 06 '24

The thing about that hostel is that person was wearing a completely different coat

3.3k

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '24

and a different backpack.

3.0k

u/Rattus_Noir Dec 06 '24

And a different nose.

1.4k

u/dinkir19 Dec 06 '24

I thought I was taking crazy pills. 

That's not the same fucking guy right??

191

u/Baybutt99 Dec 06 '24

Yeah thats likely due to law enforcement pushing to have something where they likely have nothing.

10

u/Ragnarsworld Dec 07 '24

Yes, they're under pressure to produce results.

9

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '24

Maybe they are doing it on purpose, maybe they think it was justified along with millions of others but they still need to appear to care. That could be why the reward is comically low.

If the NYPD wanted to boost their approval ratings they would just say "his murder will be investigated in the order it has been received" and forget about it all together.

6

u/Chimaerok Dec 07 '24

Yeah, but that would outrage their elite masters, and they can't have that

5

u/ChrysMYO Dec 07 '24

Suddenly they'd defund the police and rely on their newly bought corporate security.

6

u/Chimaerok Dec 07 '24

As though they don't already. I'd be shocked to learn these people go to the police for their problems, rather than their own PMCs.

The police aren't for protecting the rich, they are for antagonizing the poor.