Bec Oakes
The CEO of a high-end backpack brand has been blasted by trolls after he provided police with a tip about the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
On December 4, Brian Johnson, 50, was gunned down in New York in what is believed to have been a targeted attack.
He was shot twice in the back and in the leg as he left the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare - the medical insurance company he ran - was holding an investors' meeting.
Bullets found near his body had the words 'delay,' 'depose' and 'deny' embossed on them, believed to be a reference to terms used by UnitedHealth when denying health insurance claims.
26-year-old Luigi Mangione has since been charged with Johnson's murder, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
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Now, Peter Dering, the CEO of backpack company Peak Design, has revealed that he and his employees have received threats after reports he contacted a police tip line when he spotted one of the company's bags in surveillance footage of the suspect.
In a New York Times article published on December 5, Dering said that he immediately contacted police after seeing his product in images of the alleged shooter.
He also said that if the police were to ask for help, he would 'check with his general counsel about what information he could release without violating the company's guidelines'.
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Following the admission, Dering has since faced intense backlash, with online trolls branding him a 'snitch' and even calling for his execution.
Taking to Twitter, one user wrote: "Don't buy @peakdesignltd their CEO @dering_peter is a rat. #FreeLuigi."
Another joked: "Did Peter Dering, the founder and CEO of Peak Design with an estimated net worth of $23 million, actually snitch on #LuigiMangione? *Closing sale event coming soon.*"
And a third said: "Imagine wanting to involve yourself in something you didn't need to. Now people are getting rid of their bags and cancelling orders. The dip in Q4."
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Dering has since released a statement addressing the threats made towards him and Peak Design employees, insisting that customer information would only ever be shared with police under subpoena.
He wrote: "We take our customer privacy seriously. There is misinformation being shared on social media that has triggered many serious threats for the safety of not only me, but our employees as well.
"I ask that you please consider the facts we are providing here and continue to instil trust in the Peak."
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UNILAD has approached Peak Design for further comment.