Murder of US insurance boss: murder weapon allegedly came from 3D printer
An insurance CEO has been shot dead in the USA. A suspect has now been arrested and the alleged murder weapon probably came from a 3D printer.
(Image: Bernhard Richter/Shutterstock.com)
The sensational murder of the CEO of a US insurance company on the street in New York may have been carried out with a gun from a 3D printer. This is suggested by police reports after a suspect was arrested on Monday. The criminal complaint against the 26-year-old states that a black pistol from the 3D printer and a homemade silencer were found in his rucksack. Both matched the murder weapons, explained a police spokeswoman in New York. Officially, however, the man is described as a "person of high interest". According to media reports, he was carrying forged identification documents linked to the murder.
Years of debate about "ghost guns"
The search for the suspect is about the murder of the CEO of the billion-dollar US insurer United Healthcare. Brian Thompson was shot at close range near New York's Times Square on Wednesday; the 50-year-old later died of his injuries in hospital. The crime, which was filmed by surveillance cameras, and the public search for the perpetrator made headlines around the world, but it was also striking to see the extent of the public's anger towards the industry. The company had to switch off the comment function on several messages on social networks because the murder was greeted too often. The suspect is now accused of unauthorized possession of weapons, among other things. He is also said to have had a handwritten document with him in which he accuses insurance companies of greed.
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If the suspicion that the crime was committed with a self-made gun from a 3D printer is confirmed, this could trigger a new debate about "ghost guns" in the USA. Because they can be manufactured without a serial number, they cannot be traced in the same way as conventional firearms. "Ghost guns" have been the subject of debate in the USA for more than ten years; in 2013, a gun activist posted the world's first files for the 3D printing of a complete gun online. More problematic are firearms made of metal, which are manufactured in whole or in part using blueprints from the internet. Former US President Trump had given up his opposition to the proliferation of such weapons; under his successor Joe Biden, however, the measures were tightened up again. It is unclear what plans Trump had for his second term in office.
(mho)
