Merch glorifying United Healthcare CEO killer floods online stores
On e-commerce platforms like Etsy, TikTok Shop, eBay and Redbubble, sellers are hawking merchandise featuring designs inspired by the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
On e-commerce platforms like Etsy, TikTok Shop, eBay and Redbubble, sellers are hawking merchandise featuring designs inspired by the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
NBC News reviewed over 100 item listings for T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, mugs and even fake bullets and Christmas ornaments that bear the words “Deny,” “Defend” and “Depose” after bullet shell casings were found with those words on them at the scene of the crime (the word “Defend” was later clarified by the police to be “Delay”).
Some of the merchandise features drawings or images of the shooter taken from the initial video of the shooting. A suspect, Luigi Mangione, was charged with murder Monday. There has been significant online fanfare surrounding the shooting, with many people making light of the killing or outright celebrating it. The targeting of Thompson and the shooter’s message have been widely interpreted as a commentary on the state of the health insurance industry, with many people sharing stories of coverage denial, mistreatment and financial hardship they’ve faced within the system.
Thompson was a father to two sons. In a statement, his family called him an “incredibly loving, generous, talented man who truly lived life to the fullest and touched so many lives” and said he “will be greatly missed.”
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