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‘Can get me killed’: US man gets death threats after viral post wrongly identified him as UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer
A US man has disclosed that he was the target of death threats after a social media post falsely claimed that he was the murderer of Brian Thompson.
A US man has disclosed that he was the target of death threats after a social media post went viral and falsely claimed that he was the murderer of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
After his picture was uploaded on X (previously Twitter) with a picture of the suspect, political analyst Joey Mannarino expressed his distress. “Possible match for the United Healthcare CEO assassin identified! Do you recognise this person?!” according to the text that accompanied the images.
In a tweet, Mannarino asked, “How is this allowed?” “This can get me killed,” he added, highlighting the possible repercussions of such a mistake. The post has garnered over 19.4 million views.
Additionally, readers have clarified that while the message was meant to be satirical, it could easily be misconstrued. “Incorrect claim. The picture on the right is Joey Mannarino us who is not a suspect.”
In a follow-up tweet, Mr. Mannarino highlighted the gravity of the situation by postinga screenshot of a threatening message he got. “Due to this post, I'm receiving death threats like this one below from @smoking539675 in my inbox. This is not normal nor is this something someone should deal with as it puts my family and myself at risk. Someone must be held to account,” he wrote.
He later posted another screenshot with warnings.
He highlighted that the tweet blaming him of killing that CEO has 13,000,000 views so far. "About to write my own version of “If I Did It…” like OJ did!”
Social media reacts to Mannarino's post
Reacting to his posts on X, people have expressed their support for Mannarino.
Some users have called it “dangerous” and “depraved.”
“He thinks just because his account is satire he can do whatever he wants. This is in poor taste and could potentially be dangerous for you,” one user wrote.
“This is how big problems start—false accusations can ruin lives," a second user commented.
“Unacceptable on every level,” a third user chimed in.
Also Read: New York Police finds bag carried by gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in Manhattan on December 4 in what New York police described as a “brazen, targeted attack.” Thompson was a prominent person in the corporate world.
Earlier this year, he had been involved in a case involving insider trading. The 50-year-old Minnesotan was murdered during UnitedHealthcare's annual investors meeting in New York.
