The suspected shooter is a young, good-looking man who left a clear message at the crime scene. Engraved into the cartridge cases left behind were the three words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” They mean “reject”, “defend” and “depose” and were immediately understood as an allusion to the insurance industry’s common slogan “delay, refuse, defend”.
“Delay, Deny, Defend” is also the title of a book that critically examines the tactics used by insurance companies in the USA to shamelessly maximize profits at the expense of customers. Millions of Americans who do not have access to statutory health insurers know this practice firsthand: In order to get insurance coverage at all, they have to pay a lot of money – and then the companies still refuse to cover services.
The suspected shooter, Luigi Mangione, does not seem like the classic victim of such business behavior. He should have sufficient resources to afford first-class medical care. He reportedly comes from one of the most influential families in the Baltimore, Maryland region. The family's property includes at least two country clubs, nursing homes, various other properties and a conservative radio station.
A cousin is a member of Trump's Republican Party in the Maryland legislature. Nino Mangione appeared as a spokesman for the family after the arrest and said the Mangiones were “shocked and devastated by the news of Luigi's arrest.” The family asks for prayers for everyone to be implemented.
According to the New York Times, Luigi Mangione was valedictorian of a renowned private school as a student and then completed a master's degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Like Harvard and Yale, the private university is part of the club of eight time-honored elite universities in the north of the USA that have joined forces to form the Ivy League.
