The Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Signals Dangers Ahead for New York City

It’s hard not to feel a grim sense of relief in New York City after last week’s shocking killing of UnitedHealthcare chief Brian Thompson: While it’s never acceptable to witness a fatal shooting on the streets, at least this wasn’t just another “random” act of violence.

Sadly, the individual could have been singled out for personal, professional, or ideological motives anywhere.

Wrong: In a broader perspective, this tragedy marks yet another setback for a beleaguered Gotham.

Indeed, New York has always been a high-profile global hub for celebrities, business leaders, and politicians, which makes it susceptible to notable assassinations: think John Lennon and Meir Kahane.

However, each event needs to be placed in context. Does a specific assassination represent yet another bullet point on a list of lawlessness in a perilous city, or is it an isolated incident in an otherwise safe and welcoming environment?

When Lennon was murdered in 1980, New York City recorded 1,814 homicides; according to The New York Times, that year was labeled as “the worst year of crime in New York City history.”

By 1990, when Kahane was killed, the city’s crime rates had worsened: a staggering 527,257 felonies including 2,262 murders. In a city where no one felt safe, why should important figures be any exception?

Following 1990, crime rates, including homicide, steadily declined until 2019.

Now, the murder of Thompson in Midtown underscores nearly five years of escalating crime and disorder.

After almost three decades of decline, murder rates surged by 53% from 2019 to 2021—the highest spike recorded in such a short timeframe. Currently, the murder rate is still 14% above 2019 levels, with no signs of improvement on the horizon. Overall felony rates are now 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Moreover, random acts of violence are becoming the norm: Thompson’s death occurred just weeks after Ramon Rivera, who was released without bail on a recent theft charge, had just finished a months-long sentence for repeated thefts and burglaries and went on to stab three strangers to death in Manhattan.

Thompson’s murder also happened a day before one teenage migrant fatally stabbed another in the same area—just a five-minute walk from City Hall Park, usually bustling with armed officers.

Murder rates in the southern half of Manhattan, particularly in Midtown and downtown, with 23 killings this year, are now 80% higher than the average annual total from 2015 to 2019.

In the 2010s, as crime declined steadily and the streets often felt safe, the fact that a masked individual could shoot an executive outside a prominent Midtown hotel at daybreak may have been regarded as an anomaly.

Additionally, the shooter was masked. Until early 2020, seeing a masked perpetrator on video would have seemed out of place in New York.

Now, masked men on mopeds and e-bikes zip past us every day—and not for reasons related to weather or health concerns.

Even spotting a fully masked individual lurking in the alley between Sixth and Seventh avenues no longer raises eyebrows, as we have all grown accustomed to this level of caution over the past several years.

Another alarming implication of Thompson’s murder is that it has prompted finance and business sectors to enhance their security measures.

The uncertainty looms: Is Thompson’s murder an isolated incident, or the inception of a targeted attack on CEOs?

Tightening security in a densely populated city like New York is no easy feat. While hotel conferences may screen attendees’ badges, more executives are likely to travel in SUVs with tinted windows directly to secured parking at hotels and workplaces.

Yet, this kind of security protocols are not foolproof: Many hotels still offer open environments that allow for easy interactions in their lobbies and dining areas, while several older office buildings and residences lack direct garage access.

Furthermore, this level of security can be highly inconvenient: There was a time when it was commonly believed that both millionaires and the less fortunate utilized the subway.

If the security necessary implies that you cannot safely enter any public or even private spaces without fear of harm—if you cannot even cross the street from one hotel sidewalk to another without endangering your life—then perhaps New York is not the right setting for you.

Your business might be better off relocating, or organizing conferences, in a suburban environment where access can be more easily controlled and monitored.

This situation isn’t solely New York’s responsibility; just as 9/11 briefly shifted perceptions about skyscraper life, that event wasn’t New York’s fault.

However, failing to manage what is within our control—the overall crime and disorder levels—intensifies the impact of elements we cannot control: it’s not a singular issue, but a multifaceted one.

Nicole Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal.