New Yorkers responded to the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO with a grim twist.
A group gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park on Friday, Dec. 6, to seemingly mock the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by holding a look-a-like contest.
Eight contestants, all dressed in hooded outerwear and face masks, participated in the outdoor contest, drawing a crowd of onlookers who cheered and watched in fascination, the New York Post reports.
One contestant fired a bubble gun while wearing a handwritten sign over their black attire that read “Deny Defend Depose”—the exact words the gunman had scribbled on the shell casings left at the scene.
“Bro, I don’t know if you all should be doing this—but your life choices, I guess,” one passerby shouted as the contestants stood together, according to the Post.
“I got no looks until I got over here, and now everyone wants a picture with me,” he said. “I wear this everywhere,” he said, noting that he didn’t need to dress up for the event since the outfit was part of his regular wardrobe.
The winner, known as “contestant number six,” bore a striking resemblance to the actual assassin, prompting one onlooker to remark, “He’s the one.”
He also voiced his frustrations with the healthcare industry, sharing that although he isn’t a UnitedHealthcare member, he has faced challenges with insurance companies covering some of his medications.
Addressing the startling lack of sympathy for Thompson , the look-alike winner pointed to the widespread dissatisfaction with America’s healthcare system as a likely factor.
“People do not feel great about the current state of things in our world,” he said.
The look-alike contest took place two days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a Midtown hotel in the early morning hours while walking to an investor event alone and without security.
On Monday, authorities detained a person of interest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The individual was found with a manifesto, a gun, a silencer, four fake IDs, and other items described as “consistent” with what investigators were seeking in the case.
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Source: Black Enterprise
