Spotify Playlist About Killing CEO Changed After UnitedHealthcare Shooting

Spotify removed a photo of the man accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson from a playlist on its platform.

Thompson, 50, was fatally shot by an unidentified man outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday.

The suspect fled the scene after the shooting. He eventually got on an electric bike and rode toward Central Park, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.

The suspect has still not been located. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN on Friday that officials have “reason to believe” the suspect has left New York City.

A playlist on Spotify featured a photo of the suspected gunman with the title “POV: Taking out a CEO,” according to an X post. The playlist now has no title or photo and contains the message, “Title and pic removed by Spotify.”

Over 10,000 users have saved the 71-song playlist, which includes “My Shot” from the musical Hamilton and “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson.

On Friday, dozens gathered in New York City’s Washington Square Park for the suspect’s look-a-like contest. Eight contestants competed to see who most resembled the man, wearing hooded jackets and face masks.

The Network Contagion Research Institute of Rutgers University identified a surge of social media posts “glorifying” the shooting in a newly released report.

“There is cause for concern that these patterns reflect the emergence of a permission structure for targeted violence, akin to those historically observed on platforms such as 4chan and 8chan,” the institute said.

The institute said these types of posts were typically only found in “niche online subcultures,” but it has now observed these ideas being spread on mainstream platforms.

Alex Goldenberg, a senior adviser for the institute and a fellow at Rutgers, called the trend “deeply concerning.”

“We’ve identified highly engaged posts circulating the names of other healthcare CEOs and others celebrating the shooter,” Goldenberg told NBC News. “The framing of this incident as some opening blow in a class war and not a brutal murder is especially alarming.”

Anyone with information about the shooting is being asked to contact the NYPD through its Crime Stoppers hotline. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online. The NYPD is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked at the passing of our dear friend and colleague Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare,” UnitedHealth Group said in a statement on Wednesday. “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”

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