UnitedHealth Group says slain CEO Brian Thompson was ‘one of the good guys’
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(NEW YORK) — A week after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York, the health insurer’s parent company is praising him as “one of the good guys” and seeking to both console employees and reassure them that their work makes a difference.
In a message to the company’s nearly 400,000 employees, Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group — UnitedHealthcare’s parent company — confirmed Thompson was laid to rest on Monday and that colleagues gathered in Minnesota on Tuesday for a memorial.
“I know this has been an extraordinarily difficult week,” Witty said in the letter, obtained by ABC News. “Our company remains in a state of mourning.”
Referring to Thompson, 50, who had led the world’s largest health insurer since 2021, Witty said: “It was a life lived to the absolute fullest. And a life that helped make a profoundly positive impact on the lives of so many people. People he never saw. People he never met. People who never knew him. But people Brian cared so deeply about.”
He added: “Brian was one of the good guys. He was certainly one of the smartest guys. I think he was one of the best guys. I’m going to miss him. And I am incredibly proud to call him my friend.”
Thompson’s killing thrust the nation’s health care industry into the spotlight.
When suspect Luigi Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, earlier this week, investigators discovered he had writings with him that criticized health care companies.
A bulletin from the New York Police Department warned of heightened risks to health care executives in the wake of the shooting, citing social media posts that expressed frustration with the health insurance industry and celebrated Thompson’s death.
Witty’s letter to employees said the best way to remember Thompson “is to carry on his legacy — continuing to do right by the people who’ve entrusted us with their care and those who are counting on us to take care of their loved ones.”
The letter added: “We owe it to Brian to make good on our promise to make health care work better for everybody, in every way.”
Witty’s letter also shared messages of support from people who shared their sympathies and described how UnitedHealthcare had helped them. He said the company has received thousands of phone calls, text messages, comments and emails offering condolences and gratitude.
“I am super proud to be a part of an organization that does so much good for so many and to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the most compassionate, most dedicated and truly brilliant people in health care,” Witty said in the letter. “I hope you feel that, too.”
(WASHINGTON) — A 5-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound in her upper body after her 3-year-old brother accessed an unsecured firearm in a southwest Washington, D.C., apartment on Monday evening, police said.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said that officers responded at approximately 6:30 p.m. to an apartment in the Unit block of Galveston Street SW for reports of a shooting.
“What we know at this time is the female victim was injured when a younger child accessed a firearm that was unsecured in the apartment,” Smith said.
The girl was administered first aid and transported to an area hospital in serious condition. She remained in critical condition, according to Smith.
A man, who was responsible for providing care for the children at the time the incident occurred, was inside the apartment and was arrested and charged with cruelty to children, police said.
A woman was also arrested and charged with assaulting a special police officer, who worked at the apartment complex, police said. Police said they believed the woman was the sister of the girl who was shot.
“What I want to emphasize tonight is that this incident really highlights the danger of unsecured firearms in homes and especially around children,” Smith said. “We want to emphasize the importance of firearm safety and we are asking everyone to keep our young female victim in your prayers at this time.”
Smith said the investigation remained ongoing and that the information provided at the press conference was preliminary and subject to change.
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(DELANO, Calif.) — A convicted murderer remained on the loose Tuesday and was the subject of a massive manhunt in Central California, where authorities allege he escaped from a prison van while being transferred to a courthouse.
Cesar Hernandez, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, escaped Monday morning in the Central San Joaquin Valley town of Delano.
“The public should not confront this suspect as he is considered dangerous,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.
The CDCR released new details on 34-year-old Hernandez’s escape. Authorities said Hernandez was being driven to a court appearance at the Kern County Superior Court in downtown Delano when he escaped around 10:40 a.m. local time on Monday.
“Upon arrival, Hernandez evaded staff custody, jumped out of the van, and is currently at large,” the CDCR said in a statement.
Hernandez was last seen wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and white thermals, the CDCR said. He is described as 5-foot-5 and weighing about 161 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.
Hernandez was convicted of murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 25 years to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, a second-strike offense, according to the CDCR.
Multiple law enforcement agencies — including agents from CDCR’s Special Services Unit, the California Highway Patrol and the Delano and McFarland police departments — were continuing to search for Hernandez Tuesday afternoon in the Delano area, about 33 miles north of Bakersfield.
In a safety alert to the Central California community, authorities urged people to “report any suspicious activity or sightings immediately.”
(LAS VEGAS) — Matthew Livelsberger used ChatGPT to help plot the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, authorities revealed on Tuesday.
Police have “clear evidence” that Livelsberger used the generative artificial intelligence tool to “help plan his attack,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Livelsberger, an active-duty Army soldier who authorities said died by suicide in the incident, asked questions about explosives and what would set off certain types of explosives, police said.
McMahill said he believes this is the first case on U.S. soil in which ChatGPT/AI helped a suspect build a device, calling it a “concerning moment” and a “game changer.” He added it is also “instructive” for other law enforcement agencies and is releasing information where they can in the case.
ABC News has reached out to OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, for comment.
Through ChatGPT, the suspect looked at “trying to figure out the amount of explosives needed in order to conduct the explosion he was looking to cause,” Las Vegas Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said during the press briefing.
He also used it to try to figure out where to buy fireworks, how much and how they compare to other explosive materials, Koren said. An “important component” of his inquiries involved the velocity of the bullet fired from the firearm and “determining whether that would ignite the explosives,” Koren said.
Livelsberger, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just prior to the blast, according to the Clark County coroner. Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found in the vehicle, police said.
The Cybertruck had over 60 pounds of pyrotechnics, and 20 gallons of fuel were poured over the fireworks and explosive material in the back of the truck, according to Kenny Cooper, assistant special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ San Francisco field division.
Investigators believe the muzzle flash alone could have been an ignition source for the fuel-air explosion, though several other possible sources have not been ruled out, he said.
Police said Tuesday they have also recovered a six-page document on a phone found in the Cybertruck that showed a “variance of grievances and a constant evolution of his plans or intents of what he wanted to do,” Koren said.
In the document, the suspect was critical of the Biden administration and talked about having graphic memories of his time in battle and losing his teammates, according to Koren. He also mentioned being “super high on weed and drinking,” which investigators are still working to confirm, Koren said. The document also showed his mental health struggles, which “builds upon that potential PTSD that we’re referring to,” Koren said.
“He does transition at some point, and talks about being concerned of the media labeling them as a terrorist and that he had no intent on killing anyone else besides from himself,” Koren said.
Livelsberger’s writings indicate he had considered planning to set off the explosion at the glass walkway at the Grand Canyon but changed his mind, for whatever reason, to the Trump Hotel, police said.
“He does talk about his intent to make this as public as possible,” Koren said.
Police believe parts of the document may be classified and are working with the Department of Defense to understand if it can all be released.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department last week released two additional letters found on a cellphone retrieved from the Cybertruck. In the letters, Livelsberger said the country was being led by the “weak” and those out to “enrich themselves,” while also claiming the incident was not meant as a terrorist attack but a “wake-up call.”
In one of the letters police say were found on his phone, Livelsberger expressed support for Donald Trump and the president-elect’s allies, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He also expressed disdain for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and income inequality and expressed a concern about homelessness, according to the letters.
Livelsberger also sent an email shared by the military-themed “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast on Friday, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. That information was sent to the FBI following the attack, federal officials said.
The evidence shows Livelsberger “thoughtfully prepared” and acted alone in the incident, federal authorities said. He was not on the FBI’s radar prior to the attack, authorities said.
No one else was seriously hurt, though seven bystanders sustained minor injuries, officials said.
Livelsberger served as a Green Beret in the Army and was on approved leave from serving in Germany at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.
He received extensive decorations in combat, including the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor, indicating heroism under fire. Livelsberger received four more standard Bronze Star medals, according to Army records. He also earned the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three stars. Each star represents service in a separate campaign in Afghanistan.
Livelsberger had been receiving mental health assistance over the last year, a U.S. official confirmed Friday.
Another U.S. official confirmed that officials thought Livelsberger was stable enough to go home for Christmas and his leave was approved.
His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.
His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
