Countering idea that UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer is a hero: ‘He should not be hailed’

After the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson online, many expressed shock and sorrow.

Thompson was only 50 years and left behind a wife and two children. Authorities say the suspect waited for him outside a Manhattan hotel and shot him in the back.

But readers of coverage online, or on social media reactions to the fatal shooting, didn’t have to look very far to find entirely different responses.

Some pointed out that many are denied coverage by insurance companies for their healthcare needs, leading to people suffering and dying. Some went farther, saying the killer should be considered a hero. Some even chastised the tipster in a McDonald’s in western Pennsylvania who alerted authorities to the suspect, who was later apprehended.

• Read more: After UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing, conversations around security are changing

New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Nicholas Mangione, 26, in the killing of Brian Thompson. After Mangione’s arrest, some defended the suspect on social media.

Social media platforms aren’t always accurate barometers of public sentiment, but the celebration of the fatal shooting, even from a small minority, is jarring.

Public officials are pushing back against the idea that the killer of Thompson is a hero.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who formerly served as the state’s attorney general, addressed those expressing sentiments that the killer had done something noble or heroic.

At a press conference after the suspect’s arrest Monday, Shapiro said, “In some dark corners this killer is being hailed as a hero. Hear me on this. He is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald's.”

“This killer was not a hero. He should not be hailed,” Shapiro said.

Appearing on NBC’s Today show Tuesday, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, “I think the whole thing is an absolute tragedy, that a father, a friend, family, man who was killed.”

Eric Sean Clay, president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety, says he wasn’t surprised that some online commentators celebrated the death of the insurance executive.

“I wish I could say that I'm surprised by it,” Clay tells Chief Healthcare Executive®. “I think it's disappointing that people would celebrate the death of someone or the murder of someone, but not surprised by this. I would say disappointed by it.”

Clay says he fears that the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, and the fact that even a small number of people cheered the fatal shooting, raises fears that it could inspire other attacks against health insurance executives or healthcare leaders.

“I think that's definitely a concern,” he says. “The sentiment that you're seeing posted online definitely could inspire others to do it. You know, having this idea that he's some sort of Robin Hood who's doing good for other people, definitely a concern. Hopefully that's not the case again. I'm certainly glad that they were able to catch this individual, and hopefully nobody else decides to do what he did. If there's issues that you feel like, there's certainly other ways to address your concerns than doing something like this.”

New York police said police in Pennsylvania recovered a three-page document showing Mangione’s “motivation and mindset.”

Joseph Kenny, chief of detectives of the New York City Police Department, said that the document police found in Mangione’s possession indicated that “he has some ill will toward corporate America.”

In an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America Tuesday, Kenny said that the document included Mangione’s frustration with the healthcare system.

“He does make some indication that he's frustrated with the health system in the United States,” Kenny said. “Specifically, he states how we are the number one most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet the life expectancy of an American is ranked 42 in the world. So he was writing a lot about his disdain for corporate America, and in particular the healthcare industry.”

Tisch was asked in that GMA interview about reports that Mangione was struggling with back ailments, and she said that would be part of the investigation.

Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press and other media groups that the document police found on Mangione included language defending his actions.

"I do apologize for any strife or traumas but it had to be done. Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming,” the document said, according to the AP.

Mangione has contested extradition to New York, with authorities saying the extradition process could take weeks, The Washington Post reported. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania.

Thompson was buried in a private ceremony on Monday. Leaders like Shapiro and others are trying to send the message that Thompson’s killer should never be considered a hero.

“Some attention in this case, especially online, has been deeply disturbing, as some have looked to celebrate instead of condemning this killer,” Shapiro said at the press conference Monday.

“He was a husband, and he was a friend to many, and yes, he was the CEO of a health insurance company,” Shapiro said of Thompson.

While Shapiro said he understood the frustration with the healthcare system, he said, “In a civil society, we are all less safe when ideologues engage in vigilante justice.”