What The Rest Of Us Can (Really) Learn From The Healthcare CEO Assassin

Teachable moments in true crime

Early Wednesday morning in mid-town Manhattan, a hooded man calmly walked up behind Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, fired three shots into his back, then fled on a Citi Bike. As of Thursday afternoon, the police appear to have no leads on the assassin’s identity.

While I’m obviously trying to turn a viral news story into a teachable moment here, I want to be clear that it’s inappropriate to make light of this situation. Thompson leaves behind a wife and two sons, and no matter what events led up to the murder, violence should not be used as a resolution to conflict real or perceived.

Still, the fact that someone managed to pull off an assassination of a powerful executive in broad daylight in the middle of New York City, then get away, is capturing people’s imaginations. And part of that is because, aside from doing a murder, he go…